Down the Proverbial Rabbit Hole
by Dragonbooks249
Summary: Aala is a normal girl from a normal suburb. But when she finds herself in the world of Hunter X Hunter, her life is anything but normal. After all, there must be a reason why she of all people ended up in this place. Right? And if so, why? And what will the consequences be? My first fanfic so please review. Even flames! *On temporary hold until plot bunnies are appeased*
1. Waking up in Wonderland

Disclaimer: I do not own Hunter X Hunter

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Aala was sleeping peacefully before a pair of hands was shaking her awake. Groaning slightly, she opened her eyes and came face to face with a concerned looking boy. A very familiar looking boy. He had brown eyes and his hair seemed to have no regard for the laws of gravity and was sticking straight up in the air. Not to mention, it was spiky and was green near the top.

Aala would know that face anywhere. It was Gon from her favorite anime "Hunter X Hunter". She waited a few moments for the image of Gon's face to fade into another image altogether. Her dreams were always this way, showing her images of what was on her mind before she fell asleep and slowly blending all the images into a weird mashup. Aala assumed this was no different. Until Gon spoke.

"Are you okay?" Aala blinked a couple of times. She couldn't remember the last time anyone spoke to her in her dreams. But when Gon repeated his question, she bolted upright and nearly head butted Gon. Aala scurried backwards a bit in surprise. This was the first time she dreamed like this. "Sorry" Gon said as he stood up. "I didn't mean to scare you." He reached out a hand to help her up. Aala took the hand and stood up. Looking past Gon, she could see two people who could only be Leorio and Kurapika standing a few feet away on a path.

"Oi, can we get going now? We still have to make it to that tree." Leorio called and gestured upwards. Aala followed the gesture and saw a lone tree on top of a hill. She remembered they needed to get to that tree to get to the Hunter exam.

Gon turned to answer his friend, "Soon. I just want to see if she's okay." Before turning back to her. "Are you all right?" Aala started and realized she had yet to answer his question.

"I'm all right." she said carefully. This was the first time she'd spoken in a dream before.

"That's good" Gon said and smiled. She took the opportunity to look around herself. About a foot away lay a backpack. Her backpack that she had used for school. Beyond that she could see they were on a grassy hill that she remembered the trio traveling through in the newer version of the anime. "Are you on your way to the Hunter exam?" Gon's question startled her out of the daze she didn't even know she fell into.

"The Hunter exam." Aala repeated and Gon nodded. She thought about it for a moment before saying, "Yes, I'm on my way to the Hunter exam."

Gon smiled again before asking, "Do you want to travel with us? We're taking the exam too."

Aala fainted surprise, it seemed like the best reaction to the statement. Of course she already knew that, but anyone who didn't would be surprised at such a young boy taking the infamous exam. "Oh really? And what business does a 12 year old have in taking such a deadly test?"

Crap! She realized her mistake as soon as she finished speaking. Gon didn't tell her how old he was. "Eh, how did you know I was 12!?" he practically yelled. Hearing Gon, Leorio and Kurapika walked over to them.

Aala hastily scrambled to cover her slip. "W-well, the minimum age to take the Hunter exam is 12. You don't look any older than that, so I made the assumption that you were in fact 12 years old". Gon and Leorio both accepted her excuse, but Kurapika looked at her strangely. Trying to change the subject, Aala added, "To be taking the exam so young, you must be confident in your abilities. I'm sure also takes no small amount of courage." Gon blushed slightly and accepted the praise, but Kurapika still had that look on his face.

"Well, do you want to travel with us?" Gon asked again.

But before she could accept, Leorio objected, "Gon, you can't just invite people who you just met to travel with you! For all you know she could be planning to sabotage us so we never get to the exam site."

Gon took a half step backwards, but before he could answer, Kurapika pressed on, "I agree with Leorio. You can't be so trusting of others. One day, someone will take advantage of that. Do you even know her name?"

"But didn't we all just meet yesterday?" Gon asked with a puzzled look on his face.

Leorio was the first to answer, "But that's different. You know us and that we won't do anything to harm you." The argument continued for a minute, and before she knew it, Aala was chuckling at the sight of the three friends bickering.

They all stopped arguing and looked at her before she could silence her giggles. "S-Sorry. It just seems like despite the fact that you three met only yesterday, you seem close. Also, everything Leorio and Kurapika said is right, but trust me, the last thing I want is to harm you." Gon turned to his friend and smiled as if the matter was settled. Aala couldn't help but smile along with him. That smile really was contagious.

After formal introductions were made, the new foursome continued down the path the the lone cedar tree. Gon took the opportunity to get to know his newest friend, "So why do you want to be a Hunter? My dad is a Hunter, so I want to be one so I can go find him."

Aala was finding it extremely difficult not to smile while conversing with the cheerful boy. In all truthfulness, her face was beginning to hurt, but she didn't mind. "Well where I live, there isn't any real excitement. The closest I have to that is reading books. I've read so many adventure books I've lost count. I guess now I want an adventure of my own."

The two continued to chat happily while Kurapika looked at them from behind. He couldn't help but feel that their newest traveling companion know a lot more than she let on. He'd caught how she'd stumbled to make up an excuse as to how she knew Gon's age. Furthermore, he'd been analyzing the argument they were having, and concluded that not once was his name brought up. Yet she knew his name beforehand. It was more than a little suspicious.

Leorio had now become involved in the conversation ahead of him, but Kurapika was still thinking. The familiarity Aala used to speak with Gon and Leorio was far greater than it should have been. By the sound of her voice, she was speaking with close friends, not almost total strangers she'd just met. The warmth in her eyes else far exceeded what should have been there, especially when she looked at Gon. Kurapika had only seen such warmth in the eyes of someone looking at something they treasured deeply or someone they loved dearly. It was as if she already knew and cared for Gon before they'd even met.

"So why do you want to be a Hunter, Kurapika?" Aala's question startled him out of his thoughts. All three of them were now looking at him, waiting for his answer. Kurapika hesitated. He didn't want to tell Aala his reasons. It was far too personal to share with someone he'd barely met.

"Kurapika wants-" Gon started to answer for him, but Aala held up a hand to silence him.

"If he doesn't want to answer, that's up to him. You shouldn't answer a question like that for someone, Gon." Gon looked confused so Aala explained further "A question like that could have an extremely personal answer for someone. Judging by the look on Kurapika's face, that seems to be the case here." Kurapika nodded and Gon smiled apologetically at him. Though it wasn't Gon's smile that caught his attention. Aala's soft, _knowing_ smile was filled with too much warmth for it to be aimed at someone she barely knew.

"So" Aala surveyed her group, "we have a boy looking for his father, a man after money, and someone with an unknown goal. This should be fun." The way she said 'unknown' coupled with that smile, gave Kurapika the district impression that she already knew his goal. But, looking back on the warmth Aala had shown to them, maybe that wasn't such a bad thing.

As Aala continued her conversation with Gon and Leorio she was truly, wonderfully happy. She'd been (day)dreaming about meeting these people ever since she'd first discovered them, years ago. She'd laughed, cried, and cheered for them, now she finally gets to meet them! This was hands down the best great she'd ever had, and the longest too. Aala was determined to stretch it out for as long as possible, preferably until she met Killua. She also hoped that she dispelled some of Kurapika's suspension of her. Things would go so much more smoothly if he trusted her.

Now she and Leorio had entered a lighthearted argument over the true value of money. It was so much fun to push his buttons, and eventually gave the argument over to him to comply with Gon's attempts to change the subject. Gon and Leorio took over the conversation and Aala was suddenly reminded of the live action version of 'Alice in Wonderland'. Only instead of stumbling around the room at the bottom of the rabbit hole, she knew exactly what to do to get out and how to interact with the creators on the other side of the miniature door. Aala turned her head up and felt the sun on her face. She marveled at what she thought was her first lucid dream. She never considered she may have more in common with Alice than she thought.

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Well, this is my first fanfiction ever, so… how was it? I hope I did ok, but pretty please someone review.

Also my oc's name has a meaning. It means 'She who hunts and heals'. I didn't want to use any name, but one with a purpose, so it didn't just come out of no where.

And a warning: I intend for this to be a long running story, one that I hope I'll finish.

So... Hope to see you next time. :)


	2. Strange Quizzes, Strange Creatures

Well, if you decided to continue reading, thank you for that. :') I hope you like the rest of what I write. A review made me realize that I forgot to describe exactly _what_ Aala looked like, so, sorry! I'll fix it in this chapter.

Also Note: This is my first time doing _anything_ like this, so all I can promise is that I'll do my best to update as regularly as possible. For the first couple of weeks, though, I'll probably update every 3-4 days, then go to weekly updates. Wish me luck!

I saw other people doing this and I think it would be cool too: Replies to reviews

Ozbert Fangirl - Thanks for telling me! She _does_ have some abilities, but I'm going to be vague about them for now. I _do_ have a specific ability in mind of her, but that's going to be revealed later on. Any guesses? ;)

TempestAshe - Hope this is quick enough! I'll try to keep my updates as fast as possible. I have a lot of ideas now, and I hope I can keep it that way!

I sincerely hope you enjoy this next chapter. :)

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The foursome had now entered a forest, leaving the fields behind. _That's odd_ thought Aala. She didn't remember them traveling through a forest in the newer version. Though they did travel through a forest in the 1999 version. _They probably just didn't show it in the newer version_ she concluded.

The conversations had stopped now, and Aala decided to take inventory of what she had with her. She swung her backpack around so that it was now resting on her chest. Opening the zipper closest to her, she found four reddish/brown shirts like the one she had on, two more pairs of the same light tan shorts she had on, plus the appropriate underwear and little necessities.

In the next pocket Aala found her iPad, it's charger, and some extra hair ties and a brush for her long dark hair. Seeing the ties, she looked and saw her hair was tied in a ponytail just like she always has it, with three extra ties to keep her hair from going everywhere. She pulled out her iPad to check its battery, and saw it was fully charged.

Finally in the last pocket along with her toothbrush, toothpaste, and headphones, she found her book of Aesop's Fables. Aala pulled out the book and began leafing through it, her eyes drown to the familiar morals like _Don't count your chickens before they hatch, Slow and steady wins the race,_ and _Honesty is the best policy._

That last one didn't quite sit well with Aala right now. Though she technically wasn't lying to her companies, she wasn't telling the whole truth either. And her mother had made it **very** clear to her that it was the same as being dishonest. She shivered slightly at the memory.

Almost as if sensing her discomfort, Gon turned and looked at her with those innocent brown eyes of his. Before Aala had found Hunter X Hunter, she'd disliked her own brown eyes. She'd thought them boring and plain. But after getting to know Gon, she thought maybe her eyes weren't as boring as she thought.

"Aala, are you okay? You look like you're happy and sad at the same time." Gon asked. Upon catching sight of the book in her hand, he had a further question, "What's that?"

Aala realized her face probably did look odd and tried to rearrange it. "It's nothing really" she said as she tried to stuff the book back into her bag. But before she could, Gon wrestled the book from her hands to see for himself what it was. "Aesop's Fables..." He read out loud. Leorio and Kurapika also seemed interested and came over for a look.

Before any of them had to ask, Aala explained, "As the title says, that is a book of fables" she said with a sigh. "That's the reason I had an odd look on my face, it stirs up old memories. Some good, others... not so much."

Kurapika took the book from Gon and examined it. "This book seems fairly new, how can it stir up old memories?"

Aala nodded, accepting the statement, "It's true, I've only had that book for about a year, but some of the morals and stories have been taught to me ever since I was a small child." She took the book from Kurapika and opened it to The Lion and the Mouse, one of her favorites.

"This story brings up happy memories of all the times my teacher read variations of this same story to the class." Aala then flipped the book to The Goose Who Laid the Golden Eggs, "This one makes me sad because it reminds me of all the potential wasted on foolish things. Such a horrible waste."

And she really meant it too. Many more of the stories sutured up memories like that for her. She had mixed feelings for the book. Aala smile slightly and admitted to her companies, "I didn't even know why I brought it with me." as she put the book back in her bag.

They all nodded and continued walking. Kurapika was curious about something. "I don't mean to pry," he asked, "but you said you were taught some of those stories as a child and the language seems to be very old. May I ask just how old those stories are?"

"I don't really know" Aala answered, "I do know that they have been around long enough for some of them to become popular children's tales. For a good reason, too. Many of the morals are still true today and make excellent rules to live by."

Kurapika nodded. He thought this a strange occurrence. He had seen her ruminating through her bag, as if looking for something. But what she does take out she puts back. He glanced sideways at the girl as she transferred her backpack back to her back.

Aala sensed Kurapika's look and asked, "Is something wrong?". He just looked away and shrugged. To his surprise, she grabbed his arm and slowed their pace until they were a good distance from the others. "I know you think something isn't quite right with me. Can you just tell me what that is?"

Kurapika was about to pull away from her and catch up to the others, leaving her question unanswered, until he saw her eyes. They were earnest and kind, silently begging for answer. After a moment, he relented, "You seem to have known us all before we have even met. You act as though you have known and trusted us for years, despite having only met us a couple hours ago."

Aala released his arm and stared at the ground ahead of them. "It's true." she said simply. But before Kurapika could ask what she meant, she chuckled and recited, "'Honestly is the best policy.' Figures you were the one to figure it out. And so fast, to."

"Is that one of the morals from those fables?" When Aala nodded, Kurapika continued, "So, if that's one of your rules to live by, do you care to elaborate on your earlier statement?" he asked almost accusingly.

Aala chuckled again, "I would like to,but it would take too long. I can tell you this though, I mean you all no harm. Quite the opposite actually, I would like to help you in any way I possibly can." She took a deep breath and looked him straight in the eye for the last part, "You can trust me, Kurapika."

He was taken aback by her sheer sincerity, it even rivaled Gon's. Eventually, Kurapika nodded and Aala sighed with obvious relief, "Good. And I promise, if you ever need to know, I will tell you all everything, alright?" He nodded again and they moved to catch up with the others.

Just as they caught up, Gon's head snapped to the right and he launched himself into the trees. "Oi, Gon, where are you going?" Leorio called. Without a second thought, Aala plunged into the forest, running after Gon.

Amazingly, he came within sight after a few seconds. Gon was jumping from branch to branch, eyes forward, as if chasing something. Suddenly, mid leap, it looked as if something swatted him out of the air. "GON!" Aala cried. She read his trajectory in an instant and positioned herself to intercept him.

Originally Aala only intended to cushion his fall, but she actually managed to catch him. She placed the dazed boy on his feet and gave him a once over. "Are you all right!?" She practically screamed in his face. Gon nodded and Aala couldn't help but envelope him in a hug.

After, Gon seemed a little steadier and it also served to calm her down. "Gon! Aala! Are you two okay?" Kurapika called as he and Leorio caught up to them. "What happened? What were you chasing after, Gon?" Leorio asked.

"I saw someone following us in the trees, then I could hear them say 'Transfer complete'. I tried to follow them to ask what they meant, but it felt like something smacked me out of the air." Gon explained, hand on head to steady himself.

While Leorio was checking Gon out, Kurapika caught Aala's eye and mouthed, 'Do you know anything about this?' She could only shake her head and pray her dream wouldn't turn into a nightmare.

XXXXXXXX

The rest of the trip to the town was uneventful. Eventually, they concluded it was another exam applicant who wanted to scope them out.

The way the quiz was set up was like in the older version, no stage and the old women and her assistants standing. This made Aala stop and think. _Wait, in the older version, didn't that other guy tag along with them up until this point?_

Before she could get any further with her reasoning, said other guy (Mathew, was it?) barged in saying he'd take the quiz first. After saying that it was fine with her, he proceeded to do so. Aala couldn't help but laugh silently at the events unfolding in front of her, especially at Leorio's reactions. She was a mere spectator.

When they'd passed the quiz and started their two hour walk, Gon asked an unexpected question, "Have you ever seen that happen, Aala?"

She started at the question and could only respond with a weak, "What?"

Gon made himself clearer, "You said before that you've read many adventure books. Have any of the heroes ever come agents a problem like that?"

"Well... sort of." Aala thought for a moment before continuing, "I've never seen a choice between loved ones, but I have seen a choice between a friend and the greater good.

"The greater good? Sounds cold to me." Leorio questioned, becoming interested in the response. Kurapika also become interested in the response. He'd read many books, but no adventure books.

"Let me put it this way, it would be like if we all were trying to stop a villain's plans, which would cost many innocent lives. Say Gon is the hero of the story and we had surrounded the villain. But before we could capture him he takes a hostage, let's say Kurapika, and threatens to kill him if we don't let him go."

Aala paused and made sure she didn't lose them. They all were with her and gestured for her to continue, "That's the choice, the life of a friend vs. the lives of many faceless innocent people. The two choices Gon, the hero, could make would be to a) let the villain escape allowing his plans to at least start, sparing Kurapika, but causing many people to lose their lives or b) sacrifice Kurapika and capture the villain, saving the lives that would otherwise be lost."

They all looked somber at the thought of having to face such a situation. "Strategically speaking, that's hardly a choice at all." Said Kurapika. "The sacrifice of one life saves many."

Aala nodded in agreement. "Yet if you were the one having to make such a choice, to sacrifice a friend, that's cold comfort." She allowed them all to absorb what she had said .

"So, what usually happens? What would I do?" Gon asked.

"There's a reason why I chose you for the hero, Gon. Based on what I know of you, you're the most similar person to the heroes I've read about. No matter the consequences, I have a hard time seeing you ever sacrificing a friend. That's the choice most heroes make, save their friend and deal with the consequences. Even if you could bring yourself to make the second choice, you would most likely blame yourself for Kurapika getting captured in the first place."

"But there's a third opinion, one that isn't listed, just like the quiz, isn't there?" They all turned to Kurapika and Aala nodded confirmation. "That's the reason you chose me as the captive, because I would be the one most likely to make and carry out that option." It wasn't a question so Kurapika hardly paused before plunging in. "I could take the choice out of Gon's hands entirely if I should chose to kill myself."

The combination of the bluntness of the statement and the matter-of-fact tone Kurapika used was enough to make Gon and Leorio freeze. Aala and Kurapika stopped and looked at them with calm, accepting expressions. Leorio's was one of pure shock, and Gon wore one of sheer horror.

Aala took a deep breath and finished the hypothetical scenario, "And like the quiz, the third opinion is best." Gon looked like she'd just punched him in the gut with those words. She felt horrible for saying them, but she didn't regret it. It was harsh and cruel, but it was the truth.

Leorio was the first to snap out of it, "You two are real rays of sunshine." he scoffed, "what about a fourth option, one where we capture the villain and stop him from killing Kurapika, eh? What about that?"

It was Kurapika who answered the question. "Yes, that option would be ideal, but the entire choice is based on the villain having me in a position where he couldn't easily deal a fatal blow. Thus, the fourth option relies on the fact of the villain being an incompetent killer and if that were the case, we wouldn't be in that situation to begin with."

Leorio spluttered for a moment before choking out, "Well, it's better than suicide."

Ordinary, Leorio and Kurapika's arguments were funny to watch, but Aala didn't like where this one was going. "You both have excellent points" she said stepping between them, hands raised. "The fourth option would unquestionably be best, but it would take a miracle of it to be possible. We can't realistically-"

"Why is the third opinion best?" All three of them froze. They had almost forgotten Gon was there.

Taking a deep breath, Aala turned to face Gon. His eyes were downcast, so she lifted his chin up so his eyes met hers. "While certainly not a good choice, out of all the options we could realistically consider,it gives us the best overall results. Instead of death being forced on the captive, they get to choose it for themselves. It allows the hero a clear shot at the villain, while sparing them the pain of having to make such a choice. And the villain's plot is stopped, with minimal loss of life."

Gon tried to look away, but Aala's hand kept his eyes on hers. "Even in the quiz, the option of one of the captives sacrificing themselves for the other is a possibility because they do have a will of their own. Say it was a mother and son who were being held captive. Any good parent would be willing to die for their child."

Gon closes his eyes and took a deep breath and when he opened them he stared into Aala's eyes and asked with a shaky voice, "What would you do if it was you who was captured?"

As she answered, she could see tears welling up in Gon's eyes, "Well, I'd hope I would be brave enough to make the third choice." When she could no longer bear the sight of years gathering in Gon's eyes, she wrapped him in a comforting hug and told him, "I know it's hard, but that's the way it is."

Aala felt two wet spots on her shoulder as Gon buried his face in it. After a minute, he said loud enough for everyone to hear, "Leorio's right. It is cold." Then, just loud enough for her to hear he whispered, "But that's reality, isn't it?"

Aala pulled Gon closer.

XXXXXXXX

As they neared the end of their walk, the dark mood had almost completely lifted. Enough so that Leorio felt comfortable enough to complain. Aala smiled faintly at his whining.

She was surprised, though, to find a lake at the end of the tunnel. Another detail from the older version. Aala shrugged and went over to where she knew the boat was, calling the others over to her.

Taking the seat next to Leorio as Gon and Kurapika took the oars to row, they began crossing the lake. She was admiring the lake when Leorio began his talk of how to impress the navigators. It was hard to keep herself from snickering, but she managed to do so until the lake monster appeared.

Aala wondered if the creature waited until Leorio was preening, commenting on his own bravery, or it just had very good timing. Either way the result was the same. Upon seeing the beast, Leorio took the ores from Gon and Kurapika and began rowing at speeds she didn't even know he was capable of.

Then it was impossible for Aala to restrain the laugh building in her chest as she enjoyed the speeds they were traveling at, even more so when they hit a rock and were air borne. She'd always loved roller coasters, especially the big ones even adults were afraid to go on. And having been blessed with an early growth spurt allowing her to reach the height of 54" at the tender age of nine, she had six years of riding experience.

Aala was still smiling despite the rough landing and her smile widened when she saw that Leorio was still rowing. They continued down the path and she was vaguely aware of the discovery of the beware sign and the remnant of the ancient society. Aala was more interested in their surroundings. The anime didn't do it justice.

They arrived at the navigators house 'just in time' to see the kiriko to make of with the 'wife'. Gon and Kurapika went to retrieve her while Aala opted to guard the house as Leorio treated the 'wounded' man.

If this was the older version of events, Aala knew exactly what to do to pass this test. She stood idly at the door more concerned with her wording than the forest. She had to say just enough to make the kiriko believe she figured most of it out on her own, without revealing just how much she knew.

As expected, Leorio soon left to find some medicinal herb. When he was out of sight, Aala went inside to speak to the 'husband'. When he saw her sit down he asked, "Shouldn't you be keeping watch?"

"Shouldn't you be leaving to test Leorio?" She shot back.

The man was surprised. "And what makes you think I'm in any position to go test him as you say?"

Aala made a big show of rolling her eyes, "Not to be rude, sir, but isn't this whole situation awfully convenient?"

"How so?" He asked with genuine curiosity.

"It's just that the four of us arrived just in time to see a kiriko standing in the remains of a living room, a woman in one hand and standing over another man and to see where the kiriko ran. Now, you must have been making a lot of noise to try to fend of the kiriko, right?" The man nodded confirmation. "But then, how come we didn't hear that from a long way off? Especially Gon, who has the ears of an owl. He should have heard you well before we caught sight of your house."

The man still had his poker face on. "It seems strange that navigators of the Hunter Association should be overwhelmed so easily, especially considering you had the kiriko outnumbered. It's also a gross error in judgement to move yourself and your wife to a secluded location in a forest teeming with magical beasts without effective means to defend yourself."

The poker face was slipping know. "And so, I've come to the conclusion that the present situation that we now find ourselves in is in fact a test to see if we are worthy of taking the Hunter exam. Your wife isn't in any real danger and those injuries are not real. I'd even bet that you know the kiriko that look your wife personally."

The poker face dropped completely and the man gave Aala a smile that looked like to one his sister gave Kurapika. "Very impressive, miss. You almost have us completely figured out. That woman you took for my wife? She's actually my sister."

Aala fainted surprise. The man continued, "I do indeed know the kiriko that took her personally. He's my dad."

She took this all in easily before asking, "So both you and your sister are kirikos?" A nod. "Should I expect your mother to be in those woods to?" Another nod. The man stood up and left without another word.

Once he left, Aala couldn't resist doing a little happy dance. _Nailed it!_

XXXXXXXX

As the kirikos carried them to the exam sight, Aala was thinking over the wonderful dream she was having. It was still the best despite the kinks. She'd reveled in the impressed looks her new friends gave her, not that she'd ever let them know that.

Admiring the spectacular view from the sky, Aala prayed the dream would continue where it left off even if she should be awoken now. Remembering that people in lucid dreams can affect them, she closed her eyes and willed them to arrive.

* * *

Well? How was it? Did I do okay? Any holes I need to fill? Typos I need to fix? I REALLY need to know. So could you be so kind as to write something in the box below? I am open to suggestions(kind or not)! :) Hope you liked it.

Also, incase you were confused, I'm going to be using a mix of details from the newer version and older for a while. With some parts, I think one did better than the other in. That, or one is just more convenient than the other. ;)


	3. A Running Meeting

Yay! Chapter three. I feel so happy to have had the courage to post this story in the first place (I almost didn't). I've always made little stories like this in my head, but now I actually share them. I guess the anonymity helps. :) I hope you enjoy this story as much as I do!

Replies to Reviews:

Killugon Fangirl - Thanks for that! And yes, yes she is. :D That was exactly what I was going for! Even I'm not exactly sure how much she'll change, I guess as much as the story allows.

Universal808 - I'm glad you thought so. And I do hope to carry the story along the cannon for a while, at the very least until Greed Island (My favorite arc). I already have her Nen ability picked out and everything! It's so cool.

Here's chapter three, enjoy!

* * *

To her delight, the next time she opened her eyes, they were landing in Zaban city. They waved goodbye to the other kiriko while the brother led them through the crowded streets. Gon flitted from one stall to the next ever to view what the venders were selling. Whenever it seemed like someone was going to try to scam Gon, Aala gave them a dirty look and they backed off.

When they got to the exam sight, she bit back a laugh at their reactions to the rather underwhelming building. The navigator led them to the elevator room, and Aala was pleased that there was another chair for her. After Gon thanked the navigator, she took the seat next to him and eagerly awaited for one of her favorite scenes to play out.

"He didn't have to sound so sure that we were going to fail this year, basterd." Leorio complained.

"Well, the odds aren't exactly in our favor. Only one rookie passes for every three years." said Kurapika. "Most rookies fail within the first few phases, and some never recover to make a second attempt."

"I guess people are willing to risk everything just to be a Hunter, huh?" Gon commented.

"Of course they are! Hunters are some of the richest people in the world. With that little card, you can go almost anywhere, and most public facilities are free of charge! You could be a treasure Hunter or a contract Hunter and get rich quick." Leorio boasted.

Kurapika's head snapped around and he glared at Leorio. "It's true that some Hunters are attributed to finding treasure and working under a contract for huge sums of money, but they are second rate! First rate Hunters strive to keep the peace and preserve the natural order."

"People become Hunters for the money. This world runs on money, and that's all people want!"

"Honer and justice. That's what motivates a true Hunters!"

"Glory hound!"

"Money gruber!"

The two seemed to realize they weren't alone in the room at the same time and simultaneously shouted, "Gon! Aala! Who's right!?"

But neither was looking at them. Gon was looking at Aala wondering what was wrong, while she had her eyes screwed shut. One hand over her mouth, the other clutching her sides in a futile attempt to keep the booming laughs from escaping her. When she opened her eyes and saw the other three staring at her, she completely lost it.

They all were staring at her with varying degrees of concern. "Um... are you okay?" Gon asked tentatively.

"Yeah, I'm alright. It was just so funny..." Aala was spared further explanation as the doors opened. She eagerly stepped out with the others into the exam hall. They froze momentarily under the harsh stares. "Talk about a tough crowd." Aala joked nervously.

Soon after, the little green man Beans came and gave them their tags. She smiled broadly at the number 406 in her hands before pinning it to her chest.

"Rookies, huh?" And again Aala froze. Inwardly she groaned. _Not this loser..._

But of course it was he. Tonpa, the rookie crusher. "How did you know?" Gon asked in amazement.

Aala's fingers clenched around the straps of her backpack as Tonpa walked towards them. Only Kurapika noticed this and the disgusted look on her face. He was immediately suspicious.

"Well this is my 35th attempt at the exam, so I pretty much know everyone." Tonpa answered.

"That's not anything to brag about." Aala shot venomously back at him. She knew that was Leorio's line, to be whispered to Kurapika, but the words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"Aala!" Gon said.

"Sorry" she stated flatly to Tonpa, purely to appease Gon, and offered the fakest smile she could produce. Tonpa eyed her as he introduced himself.

"I'm Gon. And these are my friends Aala, Leorio and Kurapika." gesturing to them each in turn. "So can you tell us about the people here?"

Aala tuned out Tonpa's answer in favor of scanning the crowd. She couldn't help but feel a little disappointed when she couldn't spot a familiar tuft of silver hair. And even though she was expecting it, she couldn't ignore the horrified screaming that cut through the air.

She shuddered at the sight of a man's arms turning into flower petals and the fiery haired man standing proudly over his work. "You should apologize the next time you bump into someone."

Hisoka's eyes scanned the crowd, and his eyes fell on them. Aala reflexively placed a protective hand on Gon's shoulder and moved between him and Hisoka. For a terrifying moment their eyes met. Evidently, he liked what he saw because he smiled and walked off.

Aala didn't even realize she was shaking until Gon placed his hand over hers. She met his concerned eyes and steadied. "Damn that psychopath is back again this year." Tonpa said with more than a little fear in his voice.

"Again?" Leorio questioned nervously.

"Last year, Hisoka all but passed, but then he was disqualified for almost killing an examiner he didn't like. Not only that, but he took out 20 other applicants along the way!"

"And they're letting him retake the exam!?"

"Every year, the examiners and test content change. Even the devil could pass the exam if it was their verdict."

Aala gulped, trying to stem the rising tide of fear. _It's okay. He can't hurt me, it's just a dream._ Gon sensed her fear and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. When she met his eyes again, she couldn't help but smile.

"Well, anyway, how about a drink to calm the nerves?" Tonpa held two orange cans of juice. Both Gon and Leorio took one, while Aala passed and Kurapika followed her example.

As expected, Gon tasted the laxatives in the juice and they both spit it out, thinking it was just spoiled. Tonpa apologized profusely, but was cut of by the glare Aala sent his way. It left no doubt as to if she knew what was really wrong with the juice. Her look said one thing: **Leave. NOW.**

Tonpa paled and complied easily. As he scurried away, Aala couldn't help but follow him with her eyes. She knew Killua would come to him for more juice. She was rewarded with a glimpse of the exchange. For now, a glimpse was enough. Aala was a patient girl.

She felt a tap on her shoulder and saw Kurapika gesturing for her to follow him. When they were a little ways from Gon and Leorio, he asked, "You know them, don't you? Tonpa and Hisoka."

Aala could only nod. "And my opinions of them should be clear enough." Kurapika nodded and they rejoined the others just as the wired bell rang and the wall rose.

The first phase was about to begin.

XXXXXXXX

As they ran, Aala was only a step behind Gon, waiting for the moment Killua would roll by on his skateboard. Normally, she HATED running, but now, thoughts of the huge reserves of stamina the various heroes she knew was enough to keep her going.

Not long after, she heard the familiar (and highly anticipated) sound of wheels rolling over stone. Unconsciously, she held her breath as not to disturb the fated meeting.

"Hey, kid! Get off your skateboard, that's cheating!" Leorio shouted.

"Why is it cheating?" Killua calmly asked.

"This is a test of endurance!"

"No it's not." Gon said.

"There isn't a rule against using skateboards." Aala added.

"Gon! Aala! Who's Side are you on!" Leorio shouted at them. Killua rolled back until he was skating next to Gon.

"How old are you guys?" he asked.

"I'm 12 years old." answered Gon.

"And I'm 15" Aala added.

"You're the same age as me." he said to Gon. Killua looked like he made a decision and flipped off his skateboard and started running with them.

"Cool!" Gon marveled and Aala agreed.

"I'm Killua." he introduced himself.

"I'm Gon." he replied.

"Aala" she answered raising her hand. Just like that, they continued running in silence.

Leorio fell behind not long afterward. When he dropped his briefcase, Gon stopped and looked back at him. Killua and Aala stopped with him too. The former reluctantly, the latter gratefully. Running was not her thing.

"Just leave him. Let's get going."said Killua. Gon didn't move, just continued to look at Leorio.

Soon enough, he got his second wind and charged past them yelling, "Damn it all! Nothing is going to keep me from becoming a Hunter!"

Aala smiled and commented, "That guy never ceases to amaze me." Gon nodded and retrieved Leorio's briefcase with his fishing rod, and they continued running.

"Cool!" Killua admired, "Can I try that sometime?"

"Only if I get to try your skateboard." Killua agreed and Gon turned his head to Aala and asked, "What about you?"

She shook her head. "That's alright. I already know how to use a fishing rod and the one time I tried to use my cousin's skateboard, I nearly face planted. Besides, I don't have anything to trade."

They both nodded and ran on. When the stairs came into sight, Killua suggested a race they both agreed. Though, Aala had to strain to keep up with the two boys at first, but got used to the new pace.

Killua looked sideways at them and said,"I'm impressed that you two can keep up with me. Maybe everyone else is too slow." He tilted his head back and groaned. "Man, the exam is going to be a breeze."

"Well that means we're one step closer to becoming Hunters!" Gon said cheerfully. "Why do you want to be a Hunter, Killua?"

"I'm not really interested in being a Hunter. I heard the exam was supposed to be hard, so I thought it would be a good way to pass the time. What about you?"

"My dad is a Hunter. When he was 12, he left the island and became a Hunter. My aunt Mito was the one who raised me, so I only know my dad from a picture. I heard he was a great Hunter, so I want to be just like him."

Killua stared for a moment before launching, "so, you want to be like your dad, but you don't even know him? You're weird." He looked past Gon and asked Aala, "What about you?"

"My reasons aren't as deep as Gon's. The place I grew up in is fairly standard, so nothing ever happened. I've read countless adventure books, so I decided I wanted an adventure of my own. Even if I fail the exam, I already achieved the main reason that I set out to accomplish. I made some new friends." Aala smiled warmly at them. Gon accepted it easily, but Killua looked like he didn't know what to do with the statement.

"Hey, look! It's the end of the tunnel!" Aala shouted with relief. All three of them then took off with a final burst of speed. It took everything she had to keep up with the two of them only one word was running through her mind then: Faster, **faster, FASTER!**

As soon as she crossed the finish line, she collapsed , gulping down air, on the ground arms back supporting her. Aala faintly heard Satotz telling Gon and Killua they finished in a three way tie. They both came and stood over her. Killua even asked, "Why are you on the floor?"

She playfully glared at the both of them. "I envy you two. We just finished a freaking marathon and you two are acting like it was nothing but a walk in the park. Here I am huffing and puffing on the ground, yet you two are hardly even breathing hard." With that, she collapsed on her back.

By the time Leorio and Kurapika joined them, Aala had somewhat recovered. They were by the wall, she leaning against it when the man - faced ape came and claimed that he was the real examiner. She merely told her friends not to trust him, more concerned with resting up.

Aala was equal parts amazed and terrified a Hisoka's sheer ability to wheeled those playing cards of his. With the matter settled, the exam continued with the run through the swindlers swamp.

XXXXXXXX

The soggy shoes and socks were expected, even the humidity. But what wasn't expected was the smell. It was warm, muggy and thoroughly unpleasant. It reminded Aala of a soggy field on a hot day, and oh, how she hated that smell.

All those times she saw them running through the swamp she'd expected it to be cool, but it was really lukewarm. Maybe it was just her

Aala could feel her legs ready to give out, but she thought about all the times she read about when one of her favorite characters were running without that feeling, and she felt refreshed.

Killua felt the rising tension in the air around Hisoka. "Gon, Aala, we should move up. It's not safe around Hisoka."

"You think?" aske Gon.

Aala nodded confirmation. "You could cut the tension around him with a butter knife. Hisoka's just itching to kill someone."

Gon blinked and nodded. "Leorio! Kurapika! Killua says we should move up!"

Killua had an annoyed look on his face and Aala could guess what he was thinking. "Don't be too hard on him. He's just loyal to his friends." Killua blinked and nodded.

"Idiot! If we could, we would already be up there!" Came Leorio's irritated response.

"Don't worry about us! Just keep running!" Kurapika called.

Before they picked up the pace, Gon asked, "Will you be able to keep up, Aala?"

She merely nodded, not wanting to waste the breath, and she needed it too. But, lucky, she was able to keep up with out sounding like an over worked train.

The fog got thicker and the screaming started. They were louder than she'd thought they'd be, but she managed to tune them out. "I can hear people screaming all around." Gon commented. Both she and Killua just nodded.

Not long after,she could feel the ground moving under them. Realizing what it was, Aala quickly took a deep breath and felt the frog-in-waiting take them into its mouth.

Again, the warm sliminess was expected, but the smell was not. It was like doggy breath multiplied by 100. Eventually, she released her breath and was forced to inhale the oxygen depleted air of the frog's mouth. Again, unexpected.

Aala could hear Gon and Killua in there too, and Gon was gasping for breath just like she was. She was reminded of the documentaries she used to watch, on lions in Africa. She remembered that one technique the lionesses used to kill their pray was something the narrator called 'the kiss of death'. It was when they'd succeeded in bringing down their prey, and one lioness would place her own mouth over the mouth and nose of her pray, effectively suffocating it.

When she heard the pop of a top, she could have sobbed with relief. Once the frog barfed them up, Aala just layed there for a bit, greatfuly breathing the warm, muggy air. As they stood up, getting ready to take off again, Gon said, "I hope Leorio and Kurapika are okay."

"Leave them. Let's catch up to the others." With that, Killua took off.

Gon half heartedly started after him, but changed his mind and went in the other direction. Aala took a step towards him, she thought it best to follow Killua. She couldn't do anything against Hisoka, if anything, she'd get in the way and she could mess it all up. No, it was much better to follow Killua than to take that chance.

Despite knowing that Hisoka would spare Gon and the others, Aala couldn't help but worry. When they caught up the the main group and Killua realized Gon wasn't with them, he asked, "Where did Gon go?"

"He turned back for Leorio and Kurapika after the frog coughed us up."Aala panted, a bit of worry leaking into her voice.

"Eh, and you didn't stop him?" Killua asked somewhat irritated.

"Like I was going to be able to change his mind. He's the most stubborn person on the planet." she said in the same tone of voice.

"Whatever." Killua scoffed and ran off towards the main group. When they reached the end and Aala caught her breath, they began looking for Gon and the others. When they didn't find them after a few minutes, her worry began to escalate into panic.

She racked her brain for anything that might have made a significant difference. She only thing she could think of was when Hisoka locked eyes with her. She'd gotten the feeling that the event put her on Hisoka's radar, but what if the event changed the way he saw Gon?

Aala's heart stopped for a moment. No, that couldn't be right. Gon was still Gon and Hisoka would want to fight him once he grew up, so he would spare him. But what if he didn't?

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Aala knew she was overthinking things and she should just calm down. But these logical thoughts were steamrolled by the never ending cycle of 'what if's of her growing panic. She couldn't handle the thought of anything happening to Gon because of her, even in a dream.

Killua looked sideways at the older girl. He could sense the waves of panic coming from her, but he didn't know what to do. As a former assassin, he was used to feeling panic coming from people, and he knew how to react then, but now... He had the urge to comfort her, to stem the flow of panic, but he didn't know how. "I'm sure Gon and the others will be alright." he said clumsily, not sure of the words he was saying.

Those words had the opposite effect on Aala than what he meant. "But what if they're not?" She practically sobbed, "What if something went wrong? I should've gone with him, to help him." She whimpered, "Hisoka was out for blood." Aala felt like she was losing her mind.

Killua didn't know if panic was contagious, but now even he was beginning to worry. He began to look a little harder.

When Aala caught sight of Gon, a little bruised, but definitely alive, the tears that were threatening to break almost did. She wanted to rush Gon right then, but she managed to contain herself until he was within arms reach.

Then she wrapped Gon in the biggest bear hug she could. Then, only when Gon was safely in her arms, huge waves of relief washed over her. After a minute, Gon squeaked out, "Aala, can't breathe."

Aala then released him from her hug and placed one hand on his shoulder and used the other to inspect his face from various angles. Bruised, but about what she'd expected. "Oh, I'm just so glad you're safe. I was worried sick..." she breathed relief dripping from her voice.

"Yeah, she was nearly running around in circles, panicking, trying to find you." Killua , he couldn't help but feel a twinge of... something when he'd watched Aala embrace Gon. He couldn't help but want someone to care about _him_ like that. "So, how did you get here anyway?"

"I just tracked Leorio's cologne. It's very unique." Even Aala stared at the nonchalant tone Gon said the statement with. Like anyone else would say "I just followed the trail", like it was perfectly obvious.

"His cologne? You really are weird." Killua said.

That was when Satotz announced, "The second phase will take place on this game reserve. I'll be off. Best of luck to you all." And he pranced down the path that they'd all just come down.

The gate opened after that, revealing Menchi and Buhara. "Welcome to the second phase of the Hunter exam. Would all who passed please step through the gates?"

The second phase had begun.

* * *

Are you still with me? I hope you are. And I hoped you liked this chapter too, and if you had a problem with how I did something, _please, please, PLEASE_ tell me so I can fix it.

I will say, this chapter turned out better than it did in my journal. Just so you know, I write most of this stuff before bed every night and type it the next morning. It gives me the chance to go over what I'd written and tweak, add, or leave out as necessary.

This also means I only really go over my work three times really before I post it (once while writing, while typing, and before posting). So inform me on any problems via the box below. Reviews would be great too. :D

Hope you come again!


	4. Trouble on the Ground and in the Air

Okay, so originally this chapter was only supposed to be the second phase, but then I realized that it would be a really short chapter. Aaaand, I got impatient 'cus I _really_ wanted to get them on that air ship. Sorry if the second phase seems rushed.

Probably going to do the same thing to the Yorknew City arc, too... Sorry. :P

Replies to reviews:

Killugon Fangirl - Not entirely sure how I'm supposed to take that, but I'll go with positive! :P I really have some interesting ideas on what path she'll take in Trick Tower and I'm excited for it. Hope you enjoy it! :D

Well, let's get to it! Chapter four!

* * *

Menchi had pink hair, so it meant it would be the older version of the second phase. At this point, Aala had stopped caring. As long as she could tell what version it was, she was fine. She always did like her better in pink anyway.

The two Gourmet Hunters introduced themselves and the test. When they said it would be a cooking test, Leorio said, "But I don't know how to cook!" His eyes seemed to gravitate towards Aala. "But you know how to cook, right?"

She glared at him, "So just because I'm a girl automatically means I can cook?" she questioned.

Leorio studerd for a moment but was spared the need to answer when Gon asked, "Well, can you cook?"

"As a matter of fact, I can cook." Leorio let out a small sigh of relief. "But you shouldn't stereotype girls like that. I learned how to cook from my grandmother. My own mother can't cook to save her life."

Once Buhara made his order, Aala half expected a whole herd of pigs to come barreling through like they did in the older version, but they didn't. They had to go into the woods and find the pigs for themselves. It didn't take long.

"That's a big pig." Aala said, gulping. They looked bigger in person and very intimidating when they were chewing on those bones.

"It seems the pigs are carnivores..." Observed Kurapika. Then the pigs spotted them and gave chase.

"Go for the forehead!" Aala shouted, "That's their weak spot!" Aala went after her own pig, and instead of envisioning fight scenes from her books, she remembered the fight scenes from other anime she watched. With that running through her head, she easily landed the blow to the forehead.

Form there, it didn't take long for the others to kill their own pigs. Still remembering the almost inhuman strength characters in anime exhibited, Aala was able to gut and roast her pig with little difficulty.

She really didn't try too hard with the pig. She knew Buhara would pass it anyway. And Aala couldn't help but stare at the sheer amount of pigs he ate. She wondered what his nen ability was.

After Buhara ate 70 pigs, it was time to fill Menchi's order. Aala was excited for this one. She knew realistically nothing she'd be able to make would be good enough to please her, but she wanted to give it a shot.

While everyone else was wondering what sushi was, Aala gestured for the others to come closer. "I know how to make this dish!" She whispered excitedly. "It's just some rice molded in to a bite sized rectangular shape, a bit of raw fish on the top, and a bit of wasabi in between."

"Raw fi-" Leorio almost gave it away but Kurapika elbowed him before he could. The five of them and Hanzo left to go fishing. Once they got back with their fish, the other applications got the hint and went to get their own.

Aala prepared her fish then put it to the side, concentrating on her rice. She added the vinegar, then looked for anything else to add to it. She knew Menchi was looking for creativity, so she planned to do her best.

When she added some seasoning and a bit of seaweed to her rice, the other applicants were already making their own haphazard attempts at sushi. There was a line forming, and Hanzo was in front of their group. Aala sighed as she got in line behind Kurapika. That meant Menchi would go ballistic on Hanzo, and then he'd give away the method for making sushi. She had hoped to present her sushi before that.

It happened just as Aala thought. And just like before, Menchi found something wrong with every piece of sushi she tried. Her own sushi took a second longer for Menchi to fail, so Aala guessed that was sort of an accomplishment.

She went back to her work station and prepared another piece of sushi. This one was for herself. Sushi was never her thing, but she was curious as to what the sushi she made would actually taste like. As she ate it, Aala thought it was actually pretty good for her first try.

Soon enough, Menchi was full and she failed the whole group. It was then that the applicants started to belittle Gourmet Hunters. Aala was vaguely surprised when it escalated into a fight there, instead of Menchi going to get that moss.

Chairman Netero showed up soon after. Aala had seen him jump from the airship many times before, but it really looked more impressive in person. She went and stood by the others as arrangements were made to redo the second part of the test.

Once they'd reached Mt. Split-in-Half, Menchi demonstrated how to get a spider eagle egg. Instead of having to climb back up, there was a wind to blow them back up, like in the newer version.

Without any hesitation whatsoever, Aala launched herself over the edge of the cliff along with the others. It was exhilarating to feel the wind rush by her as she fell. Her arm jerked when she caught on to one of the strands of webs. Soon, applicants were hanging like ornaments from the webs.

Some of them jumped too early, but Aala and most of the others waited until Gon said so. The wind blowing her upward was even more exciting than when she was falling.

Boiling the eggs was easy enough, Buhara gave away when they were done. Aala greedily took a bite out of her own egg. It was even better than what she thought it would taste like. She had to exercise considerable self control not to gulp the whole thing down. She was now even more impressed that Gon gave half of his egg to that other applicant.

When they all boarded the airship, Aala felt incredibly happy to be going along with them, even if it was all a dream.

XXXXXXXX

It was really fun exploring the airship with Gon and Killua. She'd never done anything quite like it. Time flew by, and before she knew it, they were sitting on the beach by the window. "This is my first time exploring an airship. What about you two?" Aala asked.

"I thought it was great!" Gon said cheerfully.

"It was alright." Killua responded blandly.

Just then, the clouds parted giving them a clear view of the ground below. "Look, the lights look like stars." Gon said. Aala nodded. She'd always loved the view from the sky, that was why she always fought with her sister for the window seat on an airplane.

"Is this your first time seeing the view from the sky at night?" Killua asked. Aala stiffened slightly, then relaxed. This was it, the part where Killua tells Gon about his past, one of her favorites. She resolved not to speak unless spoken to for the next few minutes.

"Sort of. I saw some of it when kiriko carried me to the exam sight, but there weren't as many lights as now." Gon said. "What about you?"

"My family own private jets, so I've seen this millions of times."

"Wow, really?" Gon asked, impressed.

"We need them since our house is on top of a mountain we own. There's also about 200 servants we have on staff."

"Your family must be pretty rich then. Do you know what line of work your parents are in?"

"Assassination." Killua said blankly.

"You mean both of them?"

Killua turned and looked at Gon. Then he laughed, "I've told lots of people that, but you're the first to take me seriously." He looked past Gon to Aala and was surprised to see the completely unsurprised look on her face. "What about you? Do you believe me?"

Aala nodded. "It would explain your performance in the exam so far. It's plain to see you've had special training, and what you said fits the bill."

"And why wouldn't we believe you?" Gon asked. "You're telling us the truth."

"How do you know that?" Killua asked.

"I guess... I can just tell."

"Not many people can tell if I'm lying or not. You could call it a talent of mine." Gon and Aala were both silent, so Killua continued. "Everyone in my family is a professional assassin and they all look at me like I'm some great prospect. But when I told them I wanted decide my own future, they all went ballistic. My mom was actually crying as she told be I could be a great assassin one day. We got into a fight and I ended up stabbing my older brother and slashing my mom.

"Seriously, they're horrible! Who wouldn't want to run away from them. They're probably searching all over for me, but if they find me, I'll have to finish the job I started. Once I get my license, I'll hunt them all down. Once I collect the bounties on their heads, I'll be set for life!"

Aala had always liked the look on his face when he said all that. Killua could still talk about his horrible family with a smile on his face, even if it is about capturing them.

"Killua, you're incredible." Gon said with awe. "I've never even thought about trying to be a better Hunter than my dad." Gon turned to Aala and asked, "Don't you think so too?"

Aala smiled, glad to get the chance to voice her opinions of them. "Of course I think so, but I'd also extend that statement to you, Gon. Both of you are far stronger than I'd ever expect anyone, let alone 12 year olds, to be."

"What do you mean by stronger?" asked Gon, tilting his head.

"You, for instance are doing all this to find your father. A father that abandoned you when you were a baby and never so much as sends you a postcard. If it were me, I'd probably hate my dad. But here you are, trying to find him. In your situation, I bet it would be a whole lot easier to hate your dad than try to find him. That's how you are strong.

"And you, Killua," said person started a bit, "are strong in the way you were able to escape from a life you didn't want. And in the way you can still smile and laugh, as if you haven't been through hell."

"What do you mean by 'hell'?" Killua asked nervously.

"What I mean when I say 'hell' refers to the training you went through." Killua looked surprised at that and Aala explained, "As I've said before, I have read many adventure books. More often than not, a character pops up with amazing abilities and a dark back ground. The abilities they have are almost always gained through truly torturous training or horrible experiences. If even half of what I've read comes close to the truth, your training must have been hell."

"W-whatever." Killua said, looking away. "Let's just go find the cafeteria." Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he took off down the hall.

"Hey, Killua!" Gon called as he and Aala chased after him. He was looking at something in his hands when they got to him. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's nothing." Killua said, closing his fingers around what he held in his hand. "Let's get something to drink.

As the two started walking away, Aala frowned. It certainly wasn't nothing she knew. It was Anita, the girl who stowed away to get revenge for her father, who was killed by a Zoldyck.

She opted to sit next to Killua when they got their drinks. He had adopted a cold expression and tone of voice. Gon was trying to get him to talk, but failing miserably.

Eventually, Aala couldn't just watch anymore. "Can you just tell us what's wrong, Killua?" she asked in an exasperated tone.

"Nothing's wrong." Killua bluntly answered. Aala put her cup down and gave Killua a one armed hug. At her touch, he sat ramrod straight. "W-what was that for?" he asked, shaking off her arm.

"Don't lie Killua." she said with a concerned look on her face.

Killua looked away and seemed like he was about to tell them, but that was when Anita came. "Is it alright if I sit here?" she asked.

Once she was seated, Aala wished she was sitting between Killua and Anita, but the switch in seats would have been awkward. She listened to what Anita had to say about her father and why she was here.

Leorio and Kurapika arrived, but that didn't deter her. "I heard that a young Zoldyck would be taking the exam." she said.

"You've got me, I'm a Zoldyck." Killua admitted. Anita grabbed the hilt of her knife, but froze when she saw his eyes. "If your father was assassinated, then he must have done something to deserve it."

It all happened faster than Aala expected. "Take it back!" Anita shouted, drawing her knife. She flipped the table, blocking Gon and Leorio from helping. Kurapika was on her back, but she threw him off easily.

Aala was on her feet then, but Anita was already lunging for where Killua was. He disappeared, leaving the knife to plunge into the seat. Aala stood in between Anita and Killua now was, so Anita slashed her knife at her, in an attempt to get her to move. Aala didn't move from her position defending Killua, only raising her right arm to take the blow.

Aala felt the knife cut into her and the blood running down her arm, but she ignored it. She used her hands to grab Anita's wrists and twisted the hand holding the knife in an attempt to get her to drop it.

Before she could though, Aala felt a hand on her shoulder, pulling her back. "Enough!" Aala heard Netero shout as he pulled the two girls apart.

"Chairman Netero, what are you doing here?" Gon asked.

"Usually a fight between applicants doesn't concern me but in this case, applicant # 111 has already failed the exam." he explained. "She chose to stow away, a foolish choice seeing how an applicant who failed will never be able to defeat one who passed."

Two other people came and took Anita away, and Gon yelled, "Aala, you're bleeding!" surprised.

Aala looked down at her injured arm, barely feeling it. She watched with morbid fascination as Leorio cleaned her wound. She'd been cut before, but never past the skin. The cut was fairly shallow, only a quarter of an inch deep, but still farther that she'd ever been cut before.

She winced slightly when Leorio disinfected the cut, but the pressure from the bandages made it feel better. "Are you okay?" Killua asked when Leorio was done.

"I'm fine, but what about you?" she asked in return.

Killua merely nodded and walked away. "Where are you going?" Gon asked, but Killua just kept walking. Gon and Aala followed him until he came to a stop in front of a window.

They both waited for Killua to notice them. When he did, he asked, "Why are you here? Don't you see? I'm not a good person to be around."

"But you didn't kill her father." Gon said.

"What makes you so sure of that?" Killua asked.

"I can just tell. Aunt Mito told me to get to know a person, you should understand what upsets them. And we both want to get to know you, Killua." Aala nodded in agreement with what Gon said.

Killua looked at them both through the window and said, "You should leave now." When they didn't move, he continued. "Just go away already! I told you to leave!" Killua turned and moved to strike Gon. He stopped his hand just before he hit him. Gon didn't even blink when he saw the blow coming and Aala didn't so much as twitch to stop it.

He looked from Gon to Aala. Killua lowered his head and turned back around. "Fine, stay if you want."

Gon responded with a cheery "Okay!" before they were interrupted by chairman Netero.

"Oh, my butt is so itchy, I have to scratch it." All three of them just stared at him. "Anita filled me in on the current situation. So you come from a family of assassins, eh?"

"What does it matter to you?" Killua snapped.

"No need to be so hostile." Netero chided.

"You're the one trying to start something!" Killua retorted.

"Can you tell us what's going to happen to Anita?" Gon asked changing the subject.

"She'll certainly be punished for what she did. It's possible her eligibility fit the Hunter exam will be suspended." Netero answered.

"But you can stop that right?" Gon asked

"Humm..." Netero pretended to think about it. "On one condition: you have to beat me in a little game."

"A game?" Gon and Killua questioned.

XXXXXXXX

They watched as the chairman bounced the ball and explained the rules. "All you have to do is get the ball before we land. You can attack me any way you like as often as you like and I won't retaliate."

Aala had decided not to play, she knew they were never going to so much as touch the ball so she would just watch. With her luck playing hopeless games, she'd probably get hurt again.

Anita was standing on the opposite side of the door from her with her guards and even though Aala knew she wouldn't try anything, she still kept an eye on her.

"Why would I want to play this game? I don't have any reason to help her." Killua asked.

"And I wouldn't want any help you'd give!" Anita shouted.

"Well, how about this, if you win, I'll give you each a Hunter license." Gon and Killua both stared at him before looking at each other then back again.

"What's this old man's deal?" they asked simultaneously.

"Well it might seem this game is worth playing after all." With that, Killua launched himself into the game.

Aala watched as he tried again and again, to no avail. She tried to keep her eyes on the game, but she kept looking at her bandaged arm. Weren't you supposed to wake up if you get hurt in a dream? _Maybe it's the shock that wakes you up?_ She kept on looking at her arm and felt a prickle of doubt. Then she shook her head. _No that's impossible._ This is all just an extremely vivid dream. But then again, all her dreams before this had only seemed to last a few seconds and they'd never been this constant before...

"Why didn't you move?" The question startled Aala out of the thoughts. She turned to Anita, who had asked.

"What do you mean?" Aala responded.

"You could have dogged the knife. I only slashed at you to get you to move. So why didn't you? Why protect that murderer?" Anita had a small flame of fury in her eyes. "Is it your job or something?"

"In a way, it is my job to defend Killua, but not in the way you think." Aala answered, looking her straight in the eye. "Killua isn't a murderer to me, he's my friend. And as his friend, I feel it is my job to defend him when someone is trying to kill him." Aala eyes were cold and the flame dimmed a bit. Anita was the one who broke eye contact.

It was about 15 minutes later that Killua ran out, looking terrified. Aala followed him out the door. Gon watched his two friends go. He was sure Aala could help Killua with whatever was troubling him. "You're all alone now, do you want to call off the game?" Netero asked.

"Nope, I got close last time and I'd feel bad not helping Anita. We've got the time anyways, so I want to continue." Gon said.

"You're never going to get that ball." Anita told him. "Chairman Netero hasn't even used his right arm or left leg, and you're still struggling." Gon stared dumbly at Netero as he realized this. "I'd rather go back to my cell than watch this." Anita left with the two guards.

"Are you still up for it, humm?" Netero teased.

"Of course! Even if I can't get the ball away from you, I can still true to get you to use your right arm and left leg." Gon blinked, remembering something. "Do you know the ability that Killua used against you in the beginning, the one where there seemed to be a lot of him?"

"Ah, yes, I know it. It's only used by those committing the darkest of deeds. You shouldn't try to learn it. It is impressive though. He must have put himself through some grueling training to perfect it." Netero told Gon.

Gon nodded and recalled what Aala said earlier, ' _If even half of what I've read comes close to the truth, your training must have been hell.'_ He hoped Killua was okay. Then he saw the ball and lunged for it.

Netero snatched the ball away easily. "Nice try." he said. Gon smiled and launched himself into the game

XXXXXXXX

It took Aala a few minutes to find Killua. He was already leaning his arm against the window. She approached him and called him. His only response was tensing up.

"Killua, talk to me, please. Tell me what's wrong. I want to help you." she pleaded. "I'm worried about you."

He twitched at that, but he still didn't turn around. "Something's bothering you, I can tell. It's not just Anita either. So please, just turn around and talk to me."

Killua stayed as he was, silent. "Oh, come on, just turn around." Aala took him by the shoulders and turned him towards her. He didn't resist, but his eyes were downcast.

Aala didn't know what else to do or say, so she played her last card. "I know what you're thinking, and you're wrong." she said firmly. "You are **not** the heartless killer your family raised you to be."

Killua looked at her then, eyes wide with surprise. She thought it was a good sign, so she continued. "I may have met you only just today, but I know you better than that. No killer would try to comfort a girl going out of her mind with worry." Aala smiled reassuringly at him.

He looked like he was about to say something, but then there was someone who came and started to yell at her. "Hey, girly, quit your yapping. If I fail the third phase because I couldn't get enough sleep, you're gonna get it!"

Before Aala could so much as turn around, Killua acted for her. "You want sleep?" he asked. "Well I'll give you some." And just like that, he broke out of her grip and struck the man with a chop to the back of the neck. The man crumpled like a rag doll.

"Thanks." Aala said. "What did you do to him?" she asked, not even a hint of fear or disgust in her voice.

Killua shrugged,"Knocked him out, nothing fancy. He'll be out for a few hours and when he wakes up, he won't be in any shape to continue the exam." Aala nodded.

But, of course, that was when Anita found them. Seeing Killua standing over the unconscious man, she immediately assumed the worst. "You've killed him." she said horrified. She shot a venomous look at Aala. "And you say he _isn't_ a murderer."

Aala stepped between the two. "And it's true. Take a closer look at the man, he's still breathing. He was saying some rude things to me so Killua knocked him out."

Anita just shook her head and drew her knife. "Like that makes any difference! He still killed my father! And if you insist on defending him, I'll take you out with him!"

Aala was about to attack, but then she felt a hand on her shoulder, pulling her back. This time it was Killua. "Aala, please, get out of the way." Before she could refuse, Killua silenced her with his eyes. They were pleading. "I'll settle this myself. You already got hurt once because of me. Please, just let me do this myself."

She hesitated for a moment. "Fine. But I'll be right here." Aala moved and sat on a nearby bench.

Killua sighed with relief. He had been more worried than he'd ever be willing to admit when Anita slashed at Aala. He had feared the worst when he saw the blood and incredibly relieved when he saw it was just her arm.

It made him feel bad for the way he reacted to her hug, when she was only trying to help him. Well, he could make up for that now.

Anita lunged for him and Killua was easily able to dodge the blow. She kept coming at him from all angles and sides. She was good, but Killua was able to counter her effortlessly. He could have melded into the shadows, but he didn't want to win like that.

Eventually, Killua broke the blade of her knife. She lunged for him one more time with the broken blade before he tripped her and she fell on her back. He put a hand to her throat, just to make a point. Anita's eyes were full of fear, she really thought he'd kill her.

"Now do you get it?" Killua asked, removing his hand from her throat. Then something made him turn his head. "Oh no." he muttered.

Aala was already by the window where they could see Gon as he continued his game with Netero on the airship's balcony. Killua stood beside her, watching as he tried fruitlessly to get that stupid ball.

"What does he think he's doing?" he asked to no one in particular.

"He really is stubborn..." was Aala answer.

"Why didn't you kill me?" Anita asked coming in behind them. "What's going on?"

"Just look at him out there, still playing the game. It's all for you, you know." Killua told Anita.

"And what do you care?" Killua turned and punched her in the stomach, knocking her out instantly. _Because Gon and Aala wouldn't want me to, that's what_.

He returned to watching Gon with Aala. He'd started using his fishing rod, and he was getting close. Both he and Aala simultaneously screamed, "GON!" when he went over the edge of the railing, and rushed out to help.

By the time they go out there, Gon had already pulled himself up and even managed to make Netero to use all of his limbs. He fell back and cheered. When they got to him, Gon said, "I got Netero to use all of his limbs. Did you see that Killua, Aala?" before he fell asleep.

"Yeah, we saw it Gon." Aala said as she picked him up and transferred him on to her back. She then turned to Leorio and Kurapika, who had gotten there when they did. "Can you lead us to where we're supposed to sleep?" she asked.

As they lead them towards the sleeping area, Killua looked sideways at Aala. He had been more touched than he'd ever felt in his life when she went after him. He remembered the warmth in her eyes when she spoke to him and felt more at home than he'd ever felt before.

Killua whispered "Thank you." to her but he wasn't entirely sure what he was thanking her for.

She didn't seem to mind. "No problem." she whispered back and lightly bumped his arm.

When they reached the sleeping area, it was so full, they had to split up. Leorio and Kurapika took one spot a quarter of the room away while Killua, Aala, and the sleeping Gon took the spot closest to the door.

Aala gently slid Gon from her back and laid him on the floor. They didn't have anything to use for a pillow, so she put his head on her lap.

Killua settled down next to her. They stayed like that for a little while, but then Killua asked, "Why did you come after me?"

Aala chuckled. "Isn't it obvious? You ran out of that game like you were being chased. I thought you could use a friend, so I went to help you in anyway I could." She reached out her arm and pulled Killua into another one armed hug. "That's what friends are for. I don't care if you were an assassin, all I care about is that you left that life of your own free will. You are my friend and that's all that matters to me."

"But aren't you afraid of what I can do?" Killua asked hesitantly.

Aala laughed again and Killua could feel the vibrations of her body. "Oh, Killua. It'll take a lot more than that to scare me away." To prove her point, she pulled him deeper into the hug.

Killua's eyes widened and he finally let himself melt in to her hold. It really did feel nice. No one had ever hugged lim like this before, so warmly and tenderly. It was even better than a blanket. He placed his head on her shoulder and before he knew it, he was asleep.

Aala looked at the sleeping Killua on her shoulder and down at the sleeping Gon in her lap. She sighed happily and let her head rest on Killua's. She felt a small prickle of doubt and unease. She wasn't sure if it was alright interfering like this, but she couldn't just stand back and watch.

Aala had always been one to care about characters more than she probably should. Her parents and little sister would all try to calm her down by telling her it was just a story, but that just made her go off more. She truly loved both Gon and Killua even before she met them, but now it was even more personal. Aala couldn't just let Killua run out of there without at least trying to help him.

She contented herself with the fact that all she did really did help him and closed her eyes, letting all those other thoughts slip away. _Killua's hair really is soft_ she thought as she started drifting off to sleep. Just before she went she thought, _This would be a good time to wake up..._

* * *

So... how did I do? (Fearing crickets) I wrote most of the airship part close to 1am. I always write more freely late at night, which is why I write before bed.

Was it too much? I can be a sap at times so _please_ tell me if it's too much so I can fix it. Just _please_ tell me what you thought via the box below. (Ducks behind stage, fearing fling tomatoes)


	5. Challenging the Dream

Are you still there? (Peaking out wary of flying tomatoes) Great! :) And so many reviews too! :') A huge "Thank you" for all those who reviewed!

Replies to Reviews:

Killugon Fangirl - Yeah, I am a horrible speller so I type most of this on my iPad because it gives me spelling suggestions as I'm typing. But the ironic thing is that I love to read and read well. Sorry. And I did watch both versions. I always preferred the 1999 version because of Anita. Its episodes 11 and 12. You really should watch it, it's great! :)

3 - Thank you! That comment makes me sooo happy! And I fully intend to update soon.

Whiskeringst - (Ch.1) Yes, my very first fan fiction and thanks for saying it's something to cherish! :) Really, thank you for taking the time to review, really appreciate it! (Ch.2) I put that guy in there, and will probably have hints of him in what I plan to be Ch.8. But, trust me, he is important. I'm so glad you liked that speech, I really wanted to do something like that and I'm glad I did it well. (Ch.3) Thanks for fangirling! I really would have liked that too, but she needs to show some restraint. And never fear, the only way this story is going to be dropped is if something horrible happens to me(which isn't very likely). I have plans as to where to take this story! ;) (Ch.4) Aww, thank you! I probably spent at least half an hour worrying about that scene, cutting parts out, puting them back in and replacing things. I really can be a sap, so I just didn't want it to seem like too much. :) Glad it seems I got what I was going for!

XX - (Ch.2) Yeah, gonna go into detail about that in Ch.6+7. You do have to remember that she thinks this is all a dream, so thus, isn't really real. She's going to see that is real, and all the implications it brings, in this chapter. Hope it satisfies you. Thank you for the suggestion!

Now, I hope this chapter is satisfactory. I had a bunch of ideas and I hope I've chosen the right ones. Chapter 5, enjoy! (Takes a bow, backing away slowly)

* * *

Aala woke up the next day with someone shaking her. She slowly opened her eyes and tried to blink the sleep out of them. She was lying on the floor of the airship and Gon was shaking her shoulder to rouse her. She blinked a couple times more but went with it, still groggy from sleep.

"Hey, come on, get up. We're almost at the third phase testing site." Gon cheerfully said. Aala nodded and stood, seeing the other four already up and ready.

"Here, you're going to need this." Next thing she knew, Killua was shoving a bagel with cream cheese in her mouth.

"Thanks." she muttered around the bagel. Killua handed her her backpack and they began walking to where they would disembark. "Hey, why didn't you wake me up sooner?"Aala asked, taking a bite out of the bagle.

"Well, you were so deep asleep, none of the noise the other applicants were making seemed to bother you. We figured you needed the rest." Kurapika answered.

Aala nodded again. She could be a heavy sleeper, especially after a long day. And judging from the dream she had, she must've really been out. The weirder the dream, the deeper she sleeps. It was something about running through a frog-filled swap getting chased by giant pigs, skydiving without a parachute and giant eggs falling along with her, then a blimp-

Then, Aala froze, all traces of sleep completely gone. She was on an airship, on her way to the third phase of the Hunter exam. And she was dreaming. Right? But didn't she just have a dream, one of her usual ones? Could it be possible to have a dream within a dream?

"Hey, is something wrong?" Killua asked. All four were looking at her.

Aala realized she must have frozen a bit too long. "Oh, it's just a weird dream I had." She waved them off and continued down the corridor. Three of the four were convicted enough not to press the issue, not right then anyway.

But Killua couldn't let it drop without saying something. "Now you're the one who's lying." he whispered to her as he passed. Aala hesitated in her next step slightly. Her head was starting to spin, but she just focused on what she needed to do. Namely, finish her bagel and get cleaned up in the bathroom.

She numbly watched as Killua told Anita the truth about her father and Gon try to console her. Beans explained the goal of the third phase then left on the airship. Aala cautiously looked over the edge of Trick Tower with the others. If there was the slightest chance this was all real, she wasn't taking any chances.

"Climbing down looks like suicide." Kurapika observed.

The rock climber came and proudly proclaimed that he could do it. Before he started climbing over the edge, Aala warned, "That probably isn't the best idea." The man just ignored her and started climbing. The flying creatures came and took him soon enough. "I warned him." Aala said sadly.

"H-how did you know?" Leorio asked.

"Well, just climbing down the side seems a little to easy for the Hunter exam, don't you think?"

The others nodded and Kurapika said, "Let's find another way down."

Aala went to search with Gon and Killua. She was glad the search took all their concentration so they wouldn't see her expression. She looked at the bandage on her arm and touched where the cut was. She felt pain shoot up her arm. That felt as real as everything else was.

That was when Aala found an entrance. She let out a surprised yelp when the tile flipped under her. She landed on her butt and that certainly felt real.

"Aala! Aala, are you okay?" she heard Gon's voice calling from above.

"I'm okay!" she called back.

"We can't get the door to open again!" Killua yelled back.

"Never mind about me. It must be one door per person. Just find yourselves a door and I'll see you at the bottom!" Aala shouted back.

"Okay... See you at the bottom!" came Gon's somewhat reluctant response.

When they left, Aala scanned the room and found it was just like the one the others would fall into, except there was only one timber on the stand. As soon as she clipped it on, a voice came from the speaker. "Welcome to the path of challenges! Greetings, I am Lippo your third phase examiner."

"Path of challenges?" Aala questioned.

"You will be faced with a variety of challenges from one of these three categories: physical, mental, and individual. Each will test a certain aspect of your being. How well you rise to each challenge determines the door that will open. Your first challenge is now! Do you accept the challenge of moving forward?"

"I a-accept!" Aala said, not entirely sure what she was getting into. The door opened and she stepped out. Physical and mental were explanation enough, but what exactly did he mean by 'individual'? She guessed she'd find out soon enough.

When she reached the first intersection, Aala faced her first and seemingly unsurpassable challenge and it had nothing to do with the test. She couldn't read the writing. She pailed as she stared at the individual symbols, having no idea what they meant.

Aala closed her eyes and lifted her face upward. This was it, she couldn't move forward. She stared blankly at the little block of text. Then, it happened.

Meaning flashed through her mind and she gasped. Again, she focused on individual symbols and the meaning disappeared. Aala closed her eyes again and took a deep breath and slowly opened her eyes. Looking at the whole block of text, she could understand what it was saying, like there were subtitles under each line of text. But if she tried to focus on them, they disappeared.

The text said 'In order to continue on to the physical portion of this path, you must make it past a deadly beast. To the left is a savage lion, to the right is a ferocious wolf. Which do you choose?'

Aala opted to go with the wolf. She herself had a very big dog and was quite good at handling him. She figured that gave her a better chance, however small, over the lion and went to the doctor and it opened.

The wolf came charging out and jumped at her. Reflexively, Aala kneed the wolf in the chest, just like her dad showed her. The wolf fell back, slightly winded. She took advantage of that and put the wolf into the hold she used to subdue her dog when he got too rowdy. One arm around the throat and one around the stomach.

It was actually a little smaller than her dog, so Aala was able to get a better grip. She pressed her head behind the wolf's and kept her body close to the torso, leaning down slightly. The wolf struggled violently, but wasn't able to get free. It's claws scraped at the ground and at her boots, but wasn't able to break through to her feet.

With Aala's arm around its throat, the wolf couldn't get enough air. After a minute or two, it fell unconscious. Not wanting to hurt the wolf any more, she gently placed it on the ground and whispered "Sorry" to it. She walked through the door and it closed behind her.

The challenges were simple things like that for a while. Physical tasks like a P.E. teacher would give out times 100. Like scaling a sheer 20 foot tall wall with only a rope or moving large loads from one spot to another. The challenges were difficult, but simple. It was getting boring.

Then came the obstacle courses. To begin with, it was something like she'd seen at school when they'd have fairs, except everything was sold, not some inflatable. They got progressively more and more difficult, with many moving parts and even trip wires. Of course, there was the cliche swinging blades and pit full of spikes. Even flamethrowers. One part that stood out to Aala was when she had to use a zip line to cross a 100 ft drop. She'd always wanted to zip line.

Time blurred together and the only way that Aala could deal with the almost superhuman feats they were asking of her was to think of other superhuman feats. She wasn't stupid, she knew this had to be nen. How she was using it was another matter altogether. It seemed she could draw strength from those memories of seeing/reading about characters doing amazing things.

Just as Aala was starting to wonder about it, it happened. The match with the prisoner. She was standing in front of a door that had written on it, 'Behind this door is an opponent you must defeat to continue. The opponent is a prisoner, do you accept the challenge?' Aala simply opened the door.

The man she was fighting wasn't heavy muscled, but she could see he was strong. He had short black hair and black eyes with a jagged scar running across his right cheek. "Well, I wasn't expecting a girl," he said, "but I'm not going to go easy on you!"

Just like that, he charged. Aala's mind was already remembering many fights she had seen and she was so surprised she acted along with the memories running through her head. She vaguely felt herself performing moves she never thought possible, and next thing she knew, the man was unconscious on the floor.

After that, Aala found herself at a crossroads with no mention of any physical labor whatsoever. The text simply read, 'You have completed the physical portion of the test. If you would like a six hour rest, go to the left. To continue, go to the right.'

Aala went to the left and opened the door. As soon as she stepped in, a timer on the wall started counting down. The room was like the one the others would have to spend 50 hours in. Speaking of the others, Aala checked her timer and it read 59:17. So they were already locked in that room. It also meant that it had taken over 12 hours for her to complete the physical portion of her path.

There was also a small bathroom and Aala used it. After she was done, she used the sink to clean the various cuts and scrapes she had collected. She lied on the small couch and tried to sleep, but it was no use. Her mind would not rest.

One side of her was giving many logical reasons that this had to be a dream, or otherwise some sort of hallucination. Another side was giving examples from what she had experienced, and how has she not "woken up" yet. The third side was quietly sitting aside from all the arguing and wondering if it really mattered which was right.

Her mind continued to run itself in circles until she fell asleep.

XXXXXXXX

An alarm woke Aala from her thankfully dreamless sleep. The timer on the wall had 15 minutes still on it. Food was provided and Aala ate it gratefully. When she was finished, she got herself cleaned up in the bathroom and prepared to leave. Glancing at her timer, she saw she had a little less than 54 hours to complete the phase.

When she got moving, the soreness in her entire body hit her like a hammer with every step she took. At the first intersection, the text said, 'To continue on this path, you must answer this riddle: A judge tells an accused boy 'If you lie, we will hang you, if you tell the truth, we will shoot you.' What can the boy say to save himself?'

Surprise and pleasure shot through Aala's mind. She knew this one! She was so happy now that she knew all those hours looking up riddles and brain teasers wasn't a waste. "The boy can say, 'You will hang me'." She smiled as the door opened. That was one of her favorite riddles because it threw the whole thing into an endless loop, a paradox.

Many of the challenges were like that, but there were also challenges like solving puzzles, both physical and mental such as: A farmer needs to cross river with a fox, a chicken and a sack of corn, but the boat will only carry him and one other thing. The fox and chicken can't be left alone or the fox will eat the chicken and if the chicken is left alone with the corn it will eat it. How does the farmer get everything across?*

For such problems pencil and paper was provided and Aala was beginning to hate the sight of them. On some such problems, she ended up shredding the paper and screaming, "I DON'T KNOW!" When she did, a door would open, and it appeared that you didn't have to answer every question to continue.

By the end, Aala's brain felt like mush. Her body was still sore from before and now she had a headache on top of that. It seemed what ever ability she had would only work on improving her physical performance, but not her mental. Her timer read 40:37 and she groaned. 13 hours of doing word problems and puzzles.

With all the problems, she gave thought to her own walking between challenges. She listened to what each arguing side had to say, but she was listening more to the quiet part of her. _What_ _does_ _it_ _matter_ _if_ _it_ _is_ _real_ _or_ _not_? it said. _You_ _still care about what's going to happen. You_ know _what is going to happen and care about the others. Just live in the moment now and do what's right_ it told her and Aala found herself agreeing with it.

Aala was a fan of watching some philosophical things on t.v. And once, she watched a show on the science channel about reality. In the end, there were a lot of things she didn't quite understand, but it all really boiled down to one thing for her. This was the reality she was living in, and until proven otherwise, she would live in it and deal with what it presented her with.

Aala decided then and there to take her own advice. Until proven otherwise, she would treat this reality under the assumption that she was awake. Having reached that decision a great weight was lifted off her shoulders, but only to be replaced with another. How would she tell the others the truth about her?

Then another realization hit her like a ton of bricks. If she was here, that meant she wasn't at home, which meant her family must be going crazy right now. Aala pressed her back against the wall and buried her face in her hands. She took a tally of how many days she was here: the day she got there, the first part of the Hunter exam, and the couple of days she was in this tower, about 4 days.

Aala groaned and her shoulders started shaking. Her mom probably thought she was in hell and was _giving_ hell to her dad. Her poor little sister was probably caught in between like a rope in tug-of-war. She just hoped her grandmother didn't die of a heart attack. Then she wiped her eyes and stood up. This was no time to be moping! She was in the middle of the _freaking_ Hunter exam! At the rate she was going, she would have plenty of time to deal with all of that when she got to the bottom! She shook her head, tucked those thoughts into a corner of her mind to deal with later, and continued down the path.

Eventually, there was another intersection offering six hours rest. Aala decided to answer all of the questions and deal with her problems after her brain had a chance to recover. She repeated her actions from before, without her mind keeping her awake, and fell asleep.

XXXXXXXX

The same alarm woke her up and the same actions were taken. There was about 34 and a half hours left as Aala set out. Over half the time was gone, but she had completed two thirds of her path, so it was extremely likely she would pass this phase. She would probably have time to work out how she was going to tell her friends the truth.

This time the intersection was a bit different. This time, there were three doors. Curiously, Aala looked at the text and it said, 'To continue on this path, you must answer this question: You and a dear friend are captured by the enemy. You both are separated and given the same options, to betray your friend or stay silent. If you betray your friend and they stay silent you are free to go. If you both betray each other, you both receive five years of captivity. If you both stay silent you each receive one year. What do you do?'

Aala knew this question too. It was mentioned in one of the books the had read and the problem was called "the prisoner's dilemma". Regardless, Aala knew her answer. "Stay silent." The middle door opened.

In tune with the decision Aala had made hours before, she had envisioned the dear friend as Gon or Killua. They were the two who would most likely be on the other side and she would never betray either of them for anything. Even if it was with any friend she knew at home, she wouldn't betray them. Aala prided herself on her sense of loyalty.

All the following challenges were about hypothetical situations or would you rather questions. It was a breeze going through all of that, she hardly had to think at all. Until she reached a two way intersection again.

The text read, 'Say the most embarrassing thing about yourself to the camera.' This challenge probably was to see if Aala would swallow her pride or not, but she didn't have to like it. Face feeling hot, she choked down her pride and answered, "I wet the bed until I was five years old and I still like to sleep with stuffed animals."

The door opened but Aala couldn't stop an image forming of Lippo laughing hysterically at her. There were challenges that required her to do/say embarrassing things mixed in from then on, but it was only a matter of time until she reached one she simply **would not** do.

The challenge in question asked her at strip naked for the camera. Aala turned to said camera and yelled as loud as she could. "HELL NO! I AM NOT DOING _THAT_ YOU PERVS!" Then for good measure, she stuck up her middle finger.

A door opened at that, and she stormed down it. She would swallow her pride, but not herself respect. Aala calmed somewhat when the questions proceeded as normal, but every once in awhile, a perverted challenge came up. Instead of yelling, she just gave the camera the finger.

Her timer read 24:13 when she got to an interesting challenge. There were no doors in that intersection, just some stairs and a long drop. The text said, 'A good friend tells you the drop is safe, yet insists you go first. Do you trust your friend, or do you take the stairs?'

With the wording of the question, there were many ways you could take it. But Aala took it as if Gon told her the drop was safe. The fall lasted about five seconds and ended when she landed on what seemed like a gigantic pillow. The thing was so soft, it took her a few minutes to get out of it.

When Aala walked down the corridor, there were four doors and a small table with a knife, some lemons, and a bowl of salt. On the side was a small slink and some clean bandages. The challenge was, 'This is the last challenge of this path. Chose the amount of pain you are willing to put yourself through. The more pain you inflict on yourself, the faster you get down.'

Aala looked apprehensively at the items, on the table. A blade to make a wound and things to aggravate it. She took a deep breath and unwound the bandages around her right arm. The challenge was to inflict pain, so one way to do so and minimize the damage would be to aggravate an already existing wounded.

Aala took the knife and positioned it above the raw wounded. Stealing her nerves, she brought down the blade with as much force as she dared. The knife bit into her arm and she screamed long and loud. Once her lungs were empty, she bit her lip and pulled the knife out.

She didn't scream again, but made grunts and moans of agony. When she cut a lemon in half and rubbed it into the wound, it felt like it was on fire it was burning so bad. Aala's knees buckled and she leaned her head on the table as she rubbed in the acidic fruit until it was all squeezed out.

Kneeling on the floor, Aala gave herself a few minutes to catch her breath. Swallowing the pain, she told herself she may very well have to go through much more pain in the near future. If she continued on with Gon and Killua she had to be able to take this pain and much more or she would be a burden on them.

That thought caused a wave of doubt wash over her. Should she continue with them? She knew how things were supposed to play out, but what if she changed something? What if she threw of events and made something go terribly wrong?

Aala shook those thoughts from her head. There was no time for them know. Grabbing a some salt, Aala rubbed it into the wound. It stung, but in a more familiar way. Though the feeling was much more intense, it reminded her of when she would pick at a scab over a cut or a bug bite until it came off. For some reason she would rub the exposed flesh even though it stung. It hurt, but in a good way.

When Aala was done, she made her way over to the sink and cleaned her wound as best she could. This cool water helped to make it feel better. Wrapping the bandages as best she could, she said, "I'm done." The second door to the right opened. As a second thought, Aala decided to take the knife before she left. She was probably going to need it.

As she walked down, she saw that the path ended with a slide. With a small smile on her face, Aala went down the slide. It was a twisted slide, spiraling downward. It was actually pretty fun.

When she reached the bottom and stepped out into the room she heard the speaker announce, "Applicant #406, Aala is 12th to pass. Total time, 48:16." Aala quickly scanned the applicants already there and sat against the wall beside the door. She was tired so she simply curled up, face too the wall and took out all the problems she had regarding her home and dealt with them. She dealt with them until she cried herself to sleep.

XXXXXXXX

When Aala finally awoke, it was still over ten hours until the finish of the exam. She had cried out all the sadness she felt about how her family must be right now, but she had more immediate problems to deal with. She pulled her iPad out of her backpack. Surprisingly, it was undamaged. The battery was still full, so it would probably last until she finished.

She used her note taker app to start typing out ideas how to tell Gon, Killua, Kurapika and Leorio the truth about who she really was. Most of her ideas were cheesy crap, but eventually she found a way to phrase everything so it wasn't so bad. She still had about four hours left, so she used the remaining battery power to listen to music until it died.

After that, there was still an hour to go so Aala pulled out her fables book and read the rest of the time. More accurately, she tried to read. She was still worried about how they would take everything. She knew she wouldn't have a chance to tell them until after the fourth phase and the wait made things better and worse at the same time. Better because she could put it off, worse because it would be better to do it now, before she lost her nerve.

When there were only a few minutes left, Aala stood in the center of the room and waited for her friends to arrive. With only a minute remaining, a door opened and the four friends (plus Tonpa) walked out. Aala ran over to them and joked, "Cutting it pretty close, don't you think?"

Killua glared at Leorio. "Yeah, we are. Maybe if the old man wasn't such a perv, we would have gotten here a lot sooner."

Leorio fumed at Killua's words, but before he could say anything Gon asked, "What about you Aala? How did you do?"

Aala shrugged. "I got here in 12th place. Took me a little over two days to get here." The others looked slightly impressed but before anyone could say anything, the speaker announced, "The third phase of the Hunter exam is now complete. 25 passed, one deceased."

The door leading outside opened and everyone walked to the fourth phase.

* * *

So… how did I do? I hope my writing is satisfying to read. If there is anything that I should fix, _please_ tell me. Did my best to prof read it, but may have missed something. I would really _love_ some suggestions on what I should put in the story next. If you would be so kind, dear reader, please leave me your thoughts in the box below. It would _really_ help my writing. :D

*Answer: take the chicken across first, go back for the fox, bring the chicken back, take the corn, then go back for the chicken.


	6. Talks and Targets

Sorry for posting this so late... Had a bit of a problem getting it all written down. Then ridiculously long to get it all typed out. I'm so sorry! (Bows head and repeats x1000)

Also, my updates will probably stretch more from 5 days to a week now. But I'll still try to maintain a regular pace!

Replies to Reviews:

Killugon Fangirl - OMG, OMG! You. Read. My. Mind! I was totally thinking of making it that same way! There's no way in hell that I'd ever tell them they are fake and was totally thinking of different words too! :D And I already have her nen ability all worked out.

3 - Yeah, something like that. I just hope I did it okay. I wrote most of it when I was sleep deprived, so hope I did well!

Whiskeringst - He's figuring that out now? My own sister got that six years ago. ;) And thanks for being so excited! Ask him to bandage it himself, but no plans for infection. Yes they will find out too. In the next chapter. And thank you for your continued reviews! :D

Chimechild30 - Thanks for the compliment! I do plan to explain that, some I this chapter, a fair biting the next, then spread out when it feels right. I hope I chose the right moments! :)

Isella of the Wolf Tribe - I'm glad you're enjoying it! Hope this is good.

Alice - Thanks for the review!

Super sassy girl - (Ch.1) Yeah, plan to explain that later. ;)

Strawberry-chan - (Ch.1) Well, I thought the minimum age was 12.

Onward, to chapter six! Hope I didn't screw up! (Chuckles nervously and backs away slowly)

* * *

They all walked out to see Lippo and an assistant standing by the elevated box where they would draw their targets from. Aala only half listened to the explanation to quickly scan the numbers of as many applicants as possible. She knew she could remove her tag right now, but she didn't want to draw suspicion.

As Aala walked up to the box to draw her target, she prayed she knew the number and that it wasn't any of her friends. If it was, she would have to go after three random people. She closed her eyes when she reached for the card, not even daring to hope for anything.

She walked back to the others and held her hands at her sides, trying to calm the itch to snatch her tag off her chest. But when Aala removed the sticker off the card, the ich vanished. She had drawn the one card she never let herself even consider getting. #198, one of the Amori brothers and the one who had drawn Killua's number.

Aala had never learned their names, but she had always thought of him as the youngest of the three. And if she had drawn this card, then that meant she would probably team up with Killua, who had drawn #199, to get her tag.

A little after they got on the boat ride and everyone was all tense, Aala approached where Leorio and Kurapika were sitting. Leorio flinched a bit, but Aala put up her hands. "Relax, I didn't draw either of your numbers. Even if I did, I would never go after you. I just wanted to ask if Leorio could re bandage my arm."

Leorio nodded and started undoing the bandage. "I didn't draw your number either." he said.

"And neither did I." Kurapika added.

Aala smiled at both of them. "Thanks."

When Leorio saw what a mess her arm had become, he nearly screamed. "What in the world did you do to your arm!? It looks like it was cut much deeper and then violently aggravated."

"It was." Aala mumbled. Before either could say anything, she held up a hand. "Long story." They simply nodded and Leorio cleaned and bandaged her arm.

After that, she found Killua and joined him in sitting with Gon. "What tags did you pull?" she asked both of them. "I didn't pull either of yours."

"Me neither." Gon said.

"Same." Killua added.

All three of them looked at one another and laughed. "Show our cards on three?" Killua asked. They nodded and showed their cards after the count down. Even though she knew what Gon would pull, she couldn't help but flinch at that 44.

Killua whistled, "Hard luck."

Aala sighed. "If I thought you would listen, I would tell you to give up on Hisoka and just go for three random applicants. But since you won't listen to reason, I'll tell you to be careful."

Gon nodded and asked, "Do you know who your targets are?"

Killua shook his head. "I wasn't paying any attention to numbers, and by the time I looked around, they all already took them off." He eyed Aala's card. "What about you?"

She nodded. "Both of our targets are one of the three Amori brothers. Yours is the big one in yellow, and mine is the small one in blue." Killua looked at his target and Aala asked, "Do you want to work together? They probably will."

He glanced at her before answering, "Sure. It would make sense."

"Great." She said before turning to Gon. "And as for you..." she grabbed him by the shoulders and said, "don't do anything too crazy to get that tag." She placed a hand on his cheek before continuing. "I'm going to be worried sick as it is. Just promise to come back alive, alright?" Aala looked in to his eyes and did her best to make him understand the true depth of her words, then placed her hands on her lap.

Gon looked at his own clenched hands and nodded. "In a head to head fight, Hisoka would flatten me. But if I only need to get his tag, then I actually stand a chance." His grip tightened and he said, "I'm getting excited for it."

The three friends sat in silence for a while before Killua asked, "Are you going to tell us what was bothering you on the airship now?"

Aala had been expecting that question, but it still hit her like a punch to the gut. She hastily choked out the pre prepared answer she had come up with, "That's a long, personal story. I'd rather tell you two, Leorio, and Kurapika at the same time, in a more private place.

Gon nodded, but Killua pressed on. "Could you tell us _something_?"

Aala had been expecting this too. She swallowed and gave them her answer. "It's just that I might not be able to get home after this. I was so excited to be taking the Hunter exam, I sort of forgot until the airship." Despite already having said this many times and all the tears she shed before, she couldn't stop the stinging behind her eyes.

"Don't worry, Aala. I'm sure you'll be able to go home after this!" Gon said cheerfully, with his trademark smile.

"Thanks for that Gon." Killua didn't press any further and Aala was grateful for that. She tilted her head back and placed her arm over her eyes to wipe away the tears before they fell

XXXXXXXX

When the boat reached Zevil Island and they announced how they would disembark, Aala told Killua, "I'll follow our targets for a bit, then I'll come back for you. Okay?" He nodded. Before she left, Aala was sure to extract a last promise from Gon saying he'd come back alive.

Aala did shadow the Amori brothers for a bit, just long enough to see her target separate from the others to shadow his own target, Killua. She smirked and expertly dropped down from the tree she had been in next to Killua.

"So, how are we going to go after them?" he asked.

"We're not." Aala answered. When he gave her a slightly confused and surprised look, she explained. "Turns out, you're me target's target."

Understanding dawned on Killua's face. "So that's who it is. Now, we just wait for all three of them to regroup, then we'll take them all out."

"Bingo." With that problem solved, the two of them turned their attention to how they were to spend the week on Zevil Island.

XXXXXXXX

First they located a clear stream where they could get fresh water from, then some bushes and trees where they could eat the fruits and berries. Now that food and water sources were located, the pair just wandered around, talking about whatever came to mind.

At first, they talked about their surroundings; an oddly shaped tree, interesting flowers, some wildlife they observed. When that failed to keep the conversation going, Killua asked, "How do you think the others are doing?"

That simple question lead to a long conversation, filled with Aala's worries about the others and her hopes for them too. Killua returned the comments, and even added some worries and hopes of his own.

By the time they were done, the sun was setting so they decided to make camp. The fire they started was more for light than anything else. When it was well and truly blazing, Killua asked, "What path did you fall into?"

Again a simple question lead to a long answer. She told him all about the crazy challenges she had to go through (minus the things that went on in her mind) and Killua absorbed it all with questions and laughs. Until she got the the 'individual' challenges. He pressed her for her answers to the embarrassing questions until she caved and had to deal with his laughter.

When she got to the last challenge, Killua was completely silent. After she finished, he was silent for a minute after, then he asked one last question. "Why did you want to go through that much pain?"

Aala was silent for a moment thinking about how to phrase the answer. "I guess because I know I will have to go through worse if I want to get through the path I want to follow. I needed to test myself to see if I could take it."

Killua nodded. Aala returned his simple question before the silence could set in. As he launched into his story, she was amazed at how good a storyteller Killua was.

She reacted to his story the same as how he reacted to hers. At least, until he got to where Leorio gave away ten hours just to fulfill his own pervish desires. Threat was when she ground her teeth and became visibly angry.

Killua paused in his story and asked, "Are you okay?"

Aala took a deep breath and nodded. "Just fine. Remind me so smack Leorio the next time I see him." She gave a small smile that certainly didn't reach her eyes. All of the anger that had been on her face was now condensed in her eyes.

When he saw the flames of anger dancing in her eyes, Killua was grateful he wasn't the object they were directed at. He continued his story, but it wasn't long before Aala interrupted again.

"You ripped out his heart." she said more impressed then anything. "How?"

Killua was amazed at her reaction. It was the same as when he told her of Gon and Kurapika's wins. Regardless, he gave her the same demonstration he gave the others. His hand became a weapon more deadly than any knife and said, "That's how."

Her eyes didn't change in the slightest when she saw his hand transform. If anything, she was even more impressed. Killua was truly stunned, the only other person to have reactions like this was Gon. Apparently he was stunned for too long, because Aala asked, "What?"

He blinked, then answered, "I was just surprised. You hardly seemed to react to the fact that I can tear out a person's heart so easily."

"Why would I? You already said you came from a family of assassins, so I figured you could do something like that." Killua saw her eyes harden considerably. "Besides, that man you killed was a serial killer, one that killed hundreds just for the sheer pleasure of it. He should have died a long time ago."

Aala closed her eyes and when they opened, they had lost that cold roughness. "I bet a lot of people would thank you for what you did."

At this, Killua jolted. "T-thank me? Why?"

"Most people who would thank you would be the friends and family of the people he killed, who share my opinion." Aala looked to the sky as she continued, the cold look back in her eyes.

"Years ago, I saw an hour long documentary on a serial killer on t.v. I've already forgotten most of the details, like his name and exact number of people he killed, but I do remember he killed for similar reasons as Johness." She chuckled slightly. "I have no idea what possessed me to watch such a thing, nor why I didn't change the channel, but watched it through to the end. He had escaped prison multiple times after being convicted and when he was finally caught for good, he was given the death penalty.

"On the night of his execution, many people gathered at the field behind the prison where the sentence would be carried out to await his death. Someone even made a video of all of them counting down and cheering when the moment arrived." She chuckled but it wasn't a happy one. "After all these years, that was what stuck with me. And I'm not even sure if I agree or not with cheering for someone's death, no matter how horrible they are."

Neither of them said anything for a while both absorbed in their own thoughts. Aala was wondering what in the world made her say something like that, to Killua of all people! While Killua's thoughts were more morbid than that, wondering just how many people would cheer for his own death. There were scores of people who had lost loved ones to the Zoldyck family, to him in particular. What was worse, was that he couldn't picture anyone trying to save him.

When she couldn't take it anymore, Aala groaned and facepalmed. "I'm sorry. I have no idea where that came from. I must be getting delirious. I have never, and would never, ever think of you as anywhere even remotely close to that. I'm so sorry." To emphasise her words, Aala piled Killua into a full on hug.

At her touch, Killua was knocked out of his morbid thoughts and allowed himself to believe that someone would come to save him.

Aala's yawn was what brought them back to reality. "Well, I guess it's time to get some sleep. Do you want to sleep first?"

Killua shook his head, surprised at her ofer. Didn't he tell her that he could go without sleep for three days? Aala simply nodded and curled up a little ways from him, using her backpack for a pillow. Within minutes, she was asleep.

Again, Killua was stunned. Not even an hour ago, he had told and showed her he could rip a person's heart right out of their chest with ease. _Aala's no idiot, she must realize I could kill her faster than the blink of an eye._ Yet she left herself completely defenses before him as if it was nothing.

 _She must really trust me_ he thought. The realization sent a wave of warmth through him, similar to whenever Gon complimented him or when he said anything embarrassing.

He stared at Aala's face ,as she slept and thought about their conversation around the fire. When she was talking to him her eyes were warm and soft. In a word, kindhearted. Even when she was angry with Leorio, that look never left her eyes. But when she was talking about Johness or the killer she mentioned, that look was replaced by a cold, hard one. The word that came to mind then was: cruel.

Killua shivered at the thought and found it hard to associate that look with the Aala he had come to know. He pondered this new side to her for the rest of the night.

XXXXXXXX

When Aala woke up the sun was already up and shining. Judging by it, it was about seven or eight in the morning. She sat up and stretched. "Good morning." she yawned to Killua as she did so.

"Morning." he responded. As she stood up, he stood to and started to walk off into the forest.

Before she could even think about it she called, "Where are you going? You still haven't slept yet." The surprised look on his face was enough to make her press forward. "You were up for at, least ten straight hours in the tower, two on the boat ride, probably around six hours walking and talking around the fire last night, and around eight while I slept. All together, that's 26 straight hours you have been up. You need to sleep."

Killua looked even more confused by her explanation. "I'm an ex-assassin. I can stay awake for up to 72 hours straight."

But Aala would not yield. "Ex-assassin or not, you are still 12 years old and need your rest."

"I'm not some kid!" Killua protested.

"Yet your age begs to differ."

"I'm not a normal kid." he corrected. "I can do things normal kids can't even dream of. That includes being able to stay up this long without turning into a complete mess."

"The fact remains, every human being needs to rest some time, even ex-assassins. And sooner is better than later." Aala would not be swayed. "You need sleep."

Killua was completely speechless. No one had ever insisted so persistently on something for his well being, like sleep. He relented and wordlessly complied with her demands.

Aala watched as Killua lied down and tried to sleep. It took a while before he finally did, but she could tell when he fell asleep from the look on his face. It was calm and innocent. She felt like she was looking in the face of the person Killua could have been, had he not been born to the Zoldyck family.

As Aala kept on looking at Killua she found herself wondering why she'd reacted the way she did. The answer came almost immediately. It was the same sort of reaction she would have to try to convince her little sister to eat more of her vegetables than just the corn. She chuckled, it really didn't take long. She officially loved both Gon and Killua as if they were her own younger brothers.

Killua didn't sleep very long, just a couple of hours. When he woke he asked, "Are you happy now?"

Aala smiled and nodded. "Very."

XXXXXXXX

They started the day easy enough, washing their faces in the water and eating some fruit. As they walked around, Aala realized Killua never finished his story from the night before. He finished it and they shared a few laughs.

Eventually, nature called and Aala went to relieve herself behind a bush. Killua was standing out of earshot, facing away, when he felt another presence. It wasn't Aala's target, or the examiners, but another one coming... going straight for Aala.

He didn't question his instincts, just followed them. In a flash, he was standing in front of the other applicant. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked, sounding menacing even to his own ears.

The other applicant foolishly prepared to fight. "Your friend is my target, so if you know what's good for you, you'll get out of my way."

Killua felt a wave of protective rage wash over him. This guy had no idea who he was dealing with. "That's not going to happen." he hissed. The unfortunate applicant finally saw his opponent's eyes and realized he was hopelessly out matched.

Before he could act on his realization, he was already falling. Killua quickly searched the unconscious man and found his tag, #362. He heard some rustling behind him and Aala stepped out. Her eyes widened when she took in the scene. Before he could choke out an explanation, she simply asked, "What happened here?"

"Y-you, umm... He told me you were his target." Killua clumsily answered.

Aala just nodded. "Thanks for taking care of him for me." They both continue their walk as if nothing happened, or at least pretended to.

Killua just hoped Aala didn't see his eyes. He was well aware of how they looked when he was angered. He had often caught his reflection after he had just completed a job, and hell if it didn't scare him even a little.

Aala did in fact see his eyes. That was what surprised her most. She'd only seen them for a split second, probably even less than that. But she knew those vacant eyes so well, they were unmistakable. When Killua had that look in his eyes, she couldn't help but feel he could do anything.

But when life flowed back to fill the void, Aala lost the deer-caught-in-headlights feel and remembered that this was _Killua_ she was thinking about. Whenever he got that look, his conscious mind had already given him an objective when his instincts took over.

Yet she was more relieved than she'd ever be willing to admit when Killua snapped out of it, more for his sake than her own. Aala didn't want him to do anything he'd regret later on.

While Aala was thinking all of this, Killua was trying to find something to break the silence with. He thought about how he really didn't know much of her past, and thought bringing it up might dispel the silence that had settled. "Hey, Aala, what's your story?"

The question took Aala off guard. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what's your past like? Before you came to the Hunter exam."

Aala closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "My parents work isn't as exciting as yours or Gon's. They work with trains for transportation. My mom sells the tickets and my dad drives the trains. I have one little sister two years younger than me and she's the complete opposite of me."

"You have a sister? Does she plan on taking the Hunter exam?" Killua asked, hoping to get on a good topic. He was so wrong.

Aala shook her head and thought of the best way to phrase her answer. "Despite having tried many times, my sister doesn't have any interest at all in the Hunter exam or Hunters in general." Before Killua could ask any more questions, she held up a hand. "Please, don't ask any more. The rest is difficult to talk about and I'd rather only have to say it once."

Killua nodded feeling bad for having brought up bad memories, trying to think of a way to make her feel better. Before he could though, Aala beat him to it.

She elbowed him lightly and pointed to a twisted tree. "I'll race you to the top!" And she took off. Feeling Killua coming up behind her, she put on a burst of speed in a desperate attempt to leave him, and her painful memories behind her.

XXXXXXXX

Killua won, obviously. But thankfully Aala won against the memories, now having truly gotten past them enjoyed the rest of the day.

When they made camp again she slept first. And again she made Killua get some rest after her. In truth, Killua rather enjoyed being fussed over in such a manner, but there was no way he was going to let her know that. It was way too embarrassing.

After Killua woke from his nap, the got some water and fruit and continued to wander aimlessly. Their conversation would sound normal to anyone else, but Killua could tell something was bothering her. "What's bugging you?" he asked eventually.

She sighed. "Oh, nothing. Just worried about Gon. It's the third day, so he must be getting ready to make a move against Hisoka. Leorio and Kurapika too. Who knows what's going on out there. I hope they know who their targets are."

"Speaking of targets, what do you think yours is going to do? To be frank, he's getting on my nerves." Killua pointed behind him to where #198 was tailing them.

"The others should join him soon. They'll probably force him to try and get your tag. When he does, we'll get them." She pounded her fist into her palm to illustrate her last point.

Killua chuckled at this while it made the observer gulp. #198 had seen the pair's physical prowess and was nervous about confronting them. He knew his brothers would be angry at him for not taking the tag sooner but he couldn't bring himself to face those two frightening children!

Almost as if on cue, his two brothers arrived. Aala and Killua heard the noise he made to mark their arrival. Aala smiled wickedly. "And that's our cue." Killua smiled in return as they both turned to face #198, being pushed out to get the damn tag already.

#198 tried to put up false bravado. "Now, now kids, just give me what I want and I won't have to rough you up too much." He held out his hand as if he simply expected Killua's tag to be placed in it without a fight, but the smirk on his face was o so obviously forced.

"As if, idiot." Killua retorted, folding his hands behind his head.

"I'll show you!" #198 yelled charging forward to kick Killua.

Before the blow could land though, Aala caught his leg in her hands. "I don't think so." she said, smiling sweetly. She increased her grip on his leg and he yanked it back with a squeal.

The three took up their positions and Aala couldn't help but laugh. "What's so funny? You're about to get your ass whupped." sneered #197.

Aala continued to laugh and said, "Well, it's funny seeing you three try to fight us, especially Killua. It's kinda like seeing three cute little puppy dogs try to take on a huge, powerful wolf."

Both #197 and #199 seethed at her words, but #198 had just enough information and intelligence to gulp. "What makes you say that? From where we're standin' it's you who are the puppy dogs!"

She laughed again getting on #197 and#199 nerves, while making #198 even more nervous. "If only you knew who Killua really was, you'd all pee your pants right now and run screaming for your lives. But what's the fun in that, right Killua?"

Aala tilted her head back, offering the wickedest smile she could produce. Killua decided to go along with whatever game she was playing and return the gesture with equal force. "That's completely right, Aala."

"You're getting on my last nerve, girly. Who are you to be talking to us like that, eh?" fumed #199. By now, #198 was trembling with fear and only his brothers' presence kept him from fleeing at Aala's answer.

"Oh, little old me? I'm no one. Compared to Killua, I'm the weakest wolf in the pack, while he is the Alfa. But even a weak wolf can take on three little puppy dogs." #199 was about to say something, but Aala interrupted him.

She tilted her head back to Killua and said, "I'll take mines and the extra, while you take yours, okay?"

Before he could respond, both ticked off brothers launched themselves at her, screaming "THAT'S IT!" followed by their terrified brother.

Aala easy took her specified opponents while Killua intercepted his. "Now, where do you think you're going?" he asked, a terrifying smile on his face. "You heard her, I'm your opponent." As #199 looked in to those eyes, indeed like a wolf's, he realized his mistakes far too late.

Both of the brothers were not thinking too clearly and were easy for Aala to disable. Had they been thinking clearly, they may have stood a chance.

She allowed her body to move as it had when she fought the prisoner, and both men were on the ground groaning soon enough with their tags in Aala's hands. #199 was in a similar situation.

It was #198 who recovered first and asked, "W-who are you?" in a terrified whisper.

Killua simply answered, "I'm Killua _Zoldyck._ " putting emphasis on his last name.

All three pairs of eyes widened in shock and fear. Five seconds later, they all were running away, screaming while #198 did pee his pants. The sound of Aala's laughter rang in all of their ears.

Aala was laughing so hard, she had to use a tree for support. Man, if Killua didn't tell them, she certainly would have. She'd always wondered how they would react to Killua's true identity.

Killua was laughing to, just not as hard. Once they got their laughter under control, he asked, "Now, what was all _that_ about?" pointing in the direction the three brothers ran off in.

"I knew saying all of that would anger the other two, and terrify my target. That way, none of them were thinking clearly, so we're easy to defeat. Plus, it was fun!"

Killua whistled. "You figured all that out so quick? No wonder you finished the third phase so soon.

Aala nodded and handed him the extra tag. "Now to get Hanzo off our tail." Killua raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything. He accepted the extra tag and took out the other one. Both flew in opposite directions and it looked as if both would fly for quite a while.

He dusted off his hands and said, "I wish I could see his face when he realizes he got the wrong tag."

"Probably something like this." Aala did her best to imitate Hanzo's face and they both dissolved into laughter again.

* * *

Well, I got it up! Better late than never right? Again, so sorry for taking so long, I was short on time this week. As always, please leave me some feed back in the box below. I _really_ need to know if I screwed up or not.


	7. Confessions and Climaxes

Sorry that I took so long. I'm finding it difficult to write down everything first before I type it. What I write in my notebook is kinda like an outline or a rough draft, and what I write seems kinda flat. When I type it, that's when I make everything better and I want whatever I write to be as good as when I finish it, so it's hard to force the outline out. Just thought that I should give an explanation for my slowness. It also seems that I go slower on the scenes that I really care about.

Well, I certainly hope that this chapter is satisfying. I really can be a sap. It took me longer than I expected, but here it is! It's the longest one I have written!

Replies to Reviews:

Killugon Fangirl - Awww, thanks! I'm glad I wrote it well! Most of it was written when I had to keep getting sugary things to keep my eyes open. And yes, yes it will. ;)

3 - Glad you thought it was adorable! I honestly don't go for it, but just write what seems to fit the flow I created. Killua definitely deserves to get some love, he's been through hell, and going to have to go through more. I've always wanted to taunt those three, they were so annoying. And yes, her dark side will come out in quiet ways and big ways. So happy you liked this chapter! :)

Whiskeringst - I know the feeling. I really enjoyed making those three run away, I was laughing as I was typing it. And don't worry, I don't plan on ever taking _that_ long to update, the maximum around a month, not a year. I know the ache of waiting for a long time for a new installment to be released (books, t.v., movies) and wouldn't make you suffer like that.

Poodles in Purses - Thanks for saying so!

Isella of the wolf tribe - Yeah, I know. It took me so freaking long to get it all typed out, and I didn't want to be later than I already was, so I skipped the proofreading to just post the thing. To be honest, I was frustrated with myself for taking so long... Well, happy you liked the chapter!

And now, chapter seven! Hope you enjoy it as much as the last chapter!

* * *

The rest of the fourth phase was uneventful. Aala and Killua stuck to the routine they had created: Aala sleeping while Killua stood watch, then vice versa, eating and drinking, then wandering around the forest having fun. Aala was still worried about Gon and the others, but Killua helped calm those fears.

It was a relief to hear the alarm go off, signaling the end of the fourth phase. They both walked calmly to the finish and talked about who they thought would be there. Hisoka, Pokkle, and the disguised Illumi were already there, so they sat quietly to the side watching as the others arrived.

Aala couldn't help but start worrying about how long Gon and the others were taking. But unlike the first phase, Killua knew how to comfort her to keep from panicking. And like before, the three arrived at the last minute. Aala walked over to Gon and hugged him, thanking him for keeping his promise. She couldn't help but frown though, when she saw the snake bites all over him. Gon just laughed nervously and tried to hide the small puncture marks.

She sighed inwardly. There was nothing she could do by fussing over him, so she let it slide. The newly reunited group of five made their way to the boat that would take them to the next phase.

XXXXXXXX

It turned out to be the older versions way of getting there, meaning it took three days. Aala was relieved since it gave her more time to get the others used to the idea he was from another world and knew the future. Wow, that sounded crazy even to her.

From the time she stepped on the boat to the time when all the applicants (minus the two psychopaths) were sitting in a circle having a kind of meeting, Aala was lost in her thoughts. She wasn't going to lie, she was terrified of their reactions. What if they didn't want anything to do with her? What if they thought she was crazy and turned her in? What if they hated her?

In her heart, she knew they'd never do that, but fear was rarely rational.

Killua's hand waving in front of her face brought her back to reality. "Oi, Aala. Earth to Aala."

She blinked several times. "Oh, what?"

Everyone was staring at her, so Gon repeated what was said, "Do you have any ideas about the final phase?"

"Oh, some." she responded, not a lie, but not the complete truth.

Then Hanzo spoke up. "Well, how about from experience?" And everyone looked to Pokkle and Bodoro. Pokkle immediately said he had no information, while Bodoro explained his thinking as to why he thought the final phase would be a dreaded written exam.

The shocked and stunned faces were too much. Aala fell on her back, howling with laughter. The first time she saw this scene, she had to pause it to get over her laughing fit. This time wasn't any different,

Everyone stared at her like she was a lunatic, even to two lunatics in the room. Gon and Killua both nervously poked at her until she got a hold of herself. "S-sorry. It's just that, why would you even consider a written exam? Didn't you see Netero jump from that airship, the same man that's in charge of the last phase? I bet for him it would be as pointless as a bird walking everywhere instead of flying."

They all nodded in agreement and began to disperse with relieved looks on their phases, while their group of five stayed together. There was some idle chitchat about the last phase, but Aala wasn't listening. It was now or never. "Hey guys, I-I want to - no _need_ to tell you all something."

Her friends were surprised to hear such a serious tone coming from someone who was just laughing hysterically. Another deep breath. "Let's go to another room, I don't want to be over head." Aala got up and lead them to another room.

Aala's heart was going like a jackhammer inside her chest, fast and pounding against her ribs. She sat on the floor and the others sat around her; Leorio and Kurapika directly in front and Gon and Killua on either side.

Aala closed her eyes and bowed her head, a shaky breath escaping her despite her attempt to steady it. Her friends were worried, they'd never seen her act like this before. "Now, before I start, c-can you promise me one thing?" They all nodded. "Just promise not to-to hate me."

They were all surprised at this and Gon immediately responded, "Of course we wouldn't hate you! You are our friend and would never hate you!"

She looked up and Leorio and Kurapika nodded their agreement while Killua added, "Besides, how bad can your thing be compared to mine? None of you hate me, and whatever you did can't even come close to what I did." His and Gon's words added with their reassuring smiles gave Aala the courage to move forward.

"This...this is going to sound completely crazy, but trust me, it's real." Aala warned. Their faces had all become serious. "The thing is...well, I'm not actually form here, like not from this world."

Silence. They had all been expecting different things, but this was far, FAR from it. Predictably, it was Gon who recovered first. "Do you mean you're an alien?"

Aala couldn't help but laugh. "No, I'm not an alien, at least not in the way you are thinking. I am 100% human, but the world I come from isn't this one. I've been thinking of it like different dimensions or parallel universes."

No one said a word, unsure how to respond to all of this. Eventually Kurapika asked, "So, you're from an alternate reality?" She nodded. "Than can you tell us just how you knew all of us before we even met?"

This was news to the others. If their eyes could get any wider, they did and stared at her. Aala sighed again and took the other big leap. "I know all of you through an anime series. That's not all, I also know the future." Instead of eyes widening, (they were already at their limit) jaws dropped.

Even Kurapika's head was spinning. He decided to ask the lighter of the two statements. "What is an 'anime series' exactly?" he asked rather hesitantly.

"In the simplest terms, it is an animated show from Japan, usually based off a manga series." Aala's got four blank looks in return. She could see the smoke coming out of poor Gon's ears. "If it helps, Japan is a country in my world and a manga is like a book drawn out panel by panel."

Kurapika swallowed and continued. "You say 'Japan' like you're not from there, so how do you know of this 'anime'?"

"You're right, I'm American, not Japanese. I know of anime because in recent years it has gone global and anyone with access to the internet can watch fairly easily. And there's no 'supposedly'. Everything I know and everything I've seen match up, so I have no reason to doubt my information."

Understandably, there were still some doubtful looks. This information must come like a well aimed punch to the gut; fast, hard, and difficult to process at first. "I can prove it. I know everything the anime showed, so I know most of your experiences on Zevil Island." Aala then plunged into on as detailed account as she could produce of the other three's experience in the fourth phase.

Leorio and Kurapika looked like they each had a headache while Gon moaned and clutched his head. "I'm sorry Gon." Aala said giving him a quick hug. She then turned to Killua and said, "I can't give a very detailed account of your past, but I do know your family. Ask me about any of them and I'll describe them."

Killua looked a little dazed. "My-my second oldest brother." he stammered.

Aala's nose scrunched up. "Oh, Milluki? He's a gluttonous pig who never leaves the main house. He also uses bombs to kill people and is the one who disgusts me most out of your family. He also is a computer genius and has figurines of things from video games all over his room."

He was obviously surprised to hear such an accurate portrayal of his brother. "What about my father?"

"Who, Silva? He's quite the powerful man. Don't really get to see all that much of him, but I respect him. You inherited his silver hair and blue eyes, and you are the only one to have done so. He's certainly a much better parent than that overbearing shrew you have for a mother."

Killua looked like he ready to faint. This was undoubtedly the most he'd ever heard a non-Zoldyck say about his family, that was completely accurate. Aala looked at them all, looking like they were just dealt a blow to the head. "Do you all believe me now?" she asked sheepishly. There were faint nods from all of them.

Aala waited for all of them to recover somewhat before plunging on. "Before any of you start getting crazy ideas into your heads, I will just say I have never, nor do I intended to, lied to you. Every word I have ever said to you has been the truth. I also have never ever, not once in my life, that you were anything less than human. You all have been very real to me, from the moment I laid eyes on you and started watching your story."

She could feel herself getting emotional, tears starting to pool in her eyes. "How could I ever think that, when you all have helped me so much?" The others had mostly come out of their stupor, and we're looking at her attentively. They could tell a story was coming.

"Before I got here, I was a normal girl from a normal suburb who went to a normal school with an abnormal fondness for stories portrayed in any way. Ever since I can remember, I loved to watch t.v. for the stories and loved to read stories. Heck, I even liked to sit in on my cousins playing their video games.

"Before, my fondness for fantastical worlds and the wonderful people that I met in them were just an exciting vacation from the dullness of my everyday life. Following a hero on their journey along with their friends was what I liked to most. I found myself craving an adventure like theirs, but never as the hero. I would always see myself as one of their friends who would help them how ever I could.

"But, such a grand adventure like what I would read/watch required extraordinary circumstances that were unrealistic in my world. The adventures that were realistic in my world also cost quite a bit of money that my family didn't have, so I contented myself with many smaller adventures that were more fun than exiting paired with reading/watching other adventures like I had been doing all my life."

Aala eyes turned wistful as she was fully absorbed in telling her story, looking into her past. "I wish it could have stayed that way. My ordinary life wasn't bad, in fact it was a good life. I did have friends, but they were just like me in the way they preferred not to go out much so I saw them mainly at school. My parents are good people with good jobs and my little sister was annoying as all younger siblings can be, but I love her all the same.

"About three years ago, my parents got a divorce and it was pretty ugly. For years, my parents relationship had been going on a downward spiral. But I didn't notice, I probably didn't want to notice. Three months before, my father started sleeping in the spare bedroom we had, claiming it was cooler.

"Looking back, I really should have noticed then, but I deluded myself into thinking everything was fine. All conversation between them was civil, nothing more, nothing less. But eventually they snapped.

"It was one time I was happy to be a deep sleeper, so I didn't find out about the argument until the next morning when my mother told me they were divorcing. My poor little sister wasn't as lucky, so she was woken up by their screaming at each other and heard everything. I don't know what she heard, but I know that I never want to know.

"I was sad and shocked at first, but I put the pieces together after a few hours and thought it was for the best. The information was hard, but it wasn't anything too bad once I had the full picture. At least until my father came home that night.

"When he came in, my mother started a fight by asking when he was going to move out. The arguing started then and they argued almost every night. For the first time, I was glad my father had to work such long work hours. Most of the time, my sister and I would just stay out of it, turning up the volume of whatever we were watching or otherwise go to our rooms and close the door. Occasionally though, my mother would call us in asking for our opinion and most of the time, it wasn't what she wanted to hear. It went on for four months while my dad tried to find an apartment close by. And even when they weren't together, we had to deal with my mother ranting about my father sometimes.

"In those four months, the worlds that were a vacation suddenly turned into a refuge and a sanctuary from all the chaos that my life had turned into. I knew that countless other kids had to go through the same thing and worse, a sad fact about my reality, but it was still hard.

"It was in the second of those mouths that I discovered anime and fell in love with watching it. Everyone I met seemed so human, and it was rare for me to meet one I couldn't relate with in some way. Seeing them go through their own problems helped me deal with my own. I tried to draw my sister into the sanctuary of the other worlds I had found, but she preferred to stay with her drama shows and social media.

"The next month, I found all of you and after watching just a few episodes, just long enough for you to finish first phase, the show you were a part of became my favorite. Once I had finished the episodes that were already up, I would eagerly await the next one. Even when all the drama subsided and things got better, you four still helped me in so many ways."

Aala could feel she was close to breaking down, but she needed to finish first, and she was almost done. "So when I woke up and saw Gon, at first I thought it was all a wonderful dream, one I didn't want to wake up from. It was when I woke up on the airship I started doubting if it was really a dream or not. I came to terms that I truly was in this reality, that I had some how crossed worlds, in the tower itself.

"I knew then that I had to tell you all this and that this would be the first chance I got, so I'm taking it. I know what the future has in store and I will honestly say I'm terrified of what's to come, simply because of the danger you all will be in and because simply my presence here may have changed something that will end up getting you killed.

"Right now, that is my worst fear; one of you ending up dead because of me. But I also know that my best chance of getting home is to follow you. I-if you don't want me around anymore, I understand and I'll leave. Just-"

She was cut off when she felt two pairs of arms hugging her from either side. "We don't want you to leave!" Gon shouted. "Like I said, we are your friends and will help you in any way we can! I'm sure everything will work out okay and that everyone will be okay at the end of this. I'd be happy to have you travel with me."

Aala looked down at Gon, with his honest shining eyes then to Killua on her other side nodding with everything he said. She lost it then embracing them and burying her face in their hair, her tears soaking the spots where they were. She felt someone, she thought it was Kurapika, rubbing her back in a circular motion like her mother used to do when she was small. She also felt someone else who must have been Leorio wrap them all in an even bigger hug.

They stayed like that for what felt like hours, but was probably closer to a few minutes. When they all untangled themselves Aala bowed her head to all of them and said the most sincere "Thank you" she ever said in her entire life.

"Don't worry about it." Killua said, a smile on his face. "It would be useful to have someone who knows the future around."

Aala laughed. "Well, I only know as much as the anime showed, but that still covers quite a lot. I'm going to try not to change to story because I think that is the safest option. I will try to soften the blows of the bad things and try to make things better. I'll only reveal as much of the future I think necessary. Is that okay with all of you?"

They all nodded. "I'm sure you have questions about everything, so feel free to ask them at any time and I will answer the best I can." When no one spoke up she said, "Aren't you going to ask now?"*

They all chuckled a bit and Leorio answered, "Well, we all just about had our minds blown, so we need a bit of time for them to recover." Aala nodded smiling, glad she didn't have to deal with a torrent of questions now.

"Well if none of you have any questions, I have a few I want answered."

Aala could feel her blood draining from her face. Of course, of freaking course. It just had to be him. He just had to be the one to overhear all of that. The door opened to reveal non other than Hisoka standing in the doorway. There was a smirk on his face. "Such an interesting story. I've never heard another like it."

She along with the others sprang up, taking a defensive stance drawing any weapons they had. Kurapika his dual wooden swords, Leorio his knife, Killua's hands sharpening, Gon his fishing pole, and finally the knife that Aala got from the tower. "What do you want?" she hissed.

Hisoka raised his eyebrow. "Weren't you listening? I just want a few questions answered. No need to worry, my unripe fruits, I mean you no harm. However," His eyes narrowed,"it would be best if everyone else leave."

The others brought their guard up higher while Aala dropped it completely. "It's alright. You guys can go." They looked at her like she'd lost her mind but be other could protest, she pressed on. "He called us all 'unripe fruits', which means he doesn't mean to kill us. But you should leave now. I imagine the questions he has have information you aren't meant to know just yet. Besides he can just corner me later."

"Are you completely nuts!?" Killua shouted. "Hisoka is a killer, and you want us to leave you alone with him!? Do you really think you can trust him!?"

Aala sighed and said, "As much as I hate to admit it, I do trust Hisoka to an extent. This conversation would be beneficial to him, so I sincerely doubt that he would lose control. Give credit where credit is due, and I must admit that Hisoka has amazing self control."

They still weren't budging so she pleaded with her eyes. "I'll be fine. Met you in the cafeteria after this, alright?" She tried to force a smile but couldn't quite manage it. They stood there for a solid minute before they finally relented and left.

Leaving Aala with the biggest psychopath she knew. She eyes him warily as he walked towards her. She wanted to run, o how she wanted to run, but was determined to face Hisoka.

When he was a few feet away, he asked, "Do you know what this is?" And Aala felt what she thought it would feel like to be trapped under an avalanche. She couldn't move, couldn't breathe, and was was chilled right down to her bones.

Some how, she managed to choke out, "I-it's your nen aura." Hisoka dropped his aura but Aala wouldn't give him the satisfaction of gasping for breath.

"So," Hisoka purred, "what do you know of nen?"

"Everything. I even know you are a Transmuter and your nen abilities are Bungee Gum and Texture Surprise."

Hisoka's eyes widened and said, "Go on."

Aala closed her eyes and tried to calm her heart. The look he was giving her was _seriously_ creepy. "I also know you are pretending to be a member of the Phantom Troupe, #4 to be exact, and the fake tattoo is on your upper back. Killua's older brother Illumi is also here disguised as Gittarackur."

The way Hisoka laughed made Aala squeeze here eyes shut tighter. But they snapped open and she flew back a few feet when she felt his hand on her shoulder. She glared at him with that amused look on his face. "My, my, you are quite the interesting fruit. You even know about dear Illumi?"

At that, Aala felt an immense wave of hatred and fury wash over her. Hisoka's amused expression grew more interested and he cooed, "What's all this? All this hatred and anger? It wasn't there a minute ago, only when I mentioned Illumi... Tell me, what do you think of him?"

"I hate him." Aala spat, like the words were coated in acid. "I hate him for what he's done to Killua and what he will do to him. I hate the way he says he cares for him, but really doesn't." She could feel her emotions taking over and tears of anger forming. "I hate his monotone voice. I hate his dead eyes. I hate his crazy long hair. I hate his damn fucking needles! I HATE HIM! I HATE THAT-THAT..." she paused for a moment to think of the worse curse she could think of, " **DAMN MOTHER FUCKING SON OF A BITCH OF AN ASSHOLE!** "*

Hisoka looked thoughtful, taking in the shaking, screaming, red faced girl in front of him. "But you don't hate me." he said calmly.

Aala took deep, calming breaths and glared at Hisoka with disgust. "No, no mater how much I want to, I can't hate you. And it just _figures_ you of all people were the one to overhear that conversation. You, who plays both sides but is only on his own. Despite all you have done and all you will do, I don't hate you.

"There are a few times I'm grateful for your presence and your assistance has proved to be invaluable. For better or worse you are also a major motivation for Gon, and by extension Killua, in their nen training. I do not believe you are evil, just the most deranged person I have ever met."

Hisoka nodded as if this pleased him. "If you were to gauge their potential, how strong do you think those two could become?"

For the first time (and hopefully last) Aala willingly locked eyes with Hisoka. "It is my firm belief that they could grow into the two most powerful people on the planet."

Hisoka moaned in pleasure and Aala was forced to look away. After a moment he spoke, "Well, that's all I have. Don't worry, I won't tell Illumi about all this. It would be such a shame if an interesting fruit like you was plucked too soon."

Aala got shivers from his words, and as he turned and started walking away, his words struck a chord with her. "Hisoka, wait." He turned and looked at her curiously. The words she wanted, needed to say were in her mouth, but she was choking on the bitter taste. _For Gon_ she thought. "Now I have something to ask of you."

He turned to her with a pervish gleam in his eye and she fought down the bile in the back of her throat. Aala choked out, "After the final phase, Illumi will sense Gon's potential and try to kill him. Please make sure that doesn't happen."

The way Hisoka smiled, she expected it to curl in on itself. "Don't worry. No ones going to be plucking that fruit but _me_." He sent one last look her way and left.

As soon as he was out the door, Aala run for the nearest trash can and her stomach turned itself inside out. For _several_ reasons.

XXXXXXXX

After she was done rinsing her mouth, Aala made good on her promise and went to the cafeteria. She got a drink to help wash out the taste from her mouth and walked over to the table her friends were sitting at.

As soon as she sat down, they bombarded her with questions. "Are you alright?" "How did it go?" "What did he ask?" "Did he try to hurt her?" ect., ect. She answered the best she could. "I'm fine." "It went well." "I can't tell you." "No he didn't." ect., ect.

The questions were winding down when Leorio asked, "You look really pale, are you sure you're alright?"

Aala just waved off the question. "It's nothing. I just threw up because I had to ask Hisoka for something." she mumbled into her cup.

The reaction was immediate. "WHAT!?" they all shouted simultaneously.

She tried to wave them off again. "Don't worry, it was nothing immoral and he was happy to do it, so there's no need to pay him back. I can't tell you what it is though, maybe after the final phase."

"Speaking of the final phase," Killua asked, "what can we expect?"

Aala winced and looked into her almost empty cup. "I'm not going to sugar coat it and I'm not going to lie. It-it gets ugly, very ugly. This is one of the parts I was dreading, especially for Gon and Killua." Then, realizing how that may sound to them she hastily added, "But it's nothing that can't be fixed. I know all of the damage that will be done is fixable, but still... it's not fun seeing the damage being done and not being able to do anything to stop it."

There was an awkward silence. Aala blamed herself for bringing it on. Maybe she should have toned it down a little. She downed the rest of her drink and said, "Come on, that's over two whole days away. Let's try to have some fun until then." She stood and lead the way to the gym like room.

XXXXXXXX

They passed the time playing children's games. Aala thought it was the best way to lighten the mood and to have fun. Some of the rules for the games had to be changed to make it a bit more challenging.

Some of the games they played Aala hadn't played since she was in preschool. Games like freeze tag, hide and go seek, blind man's bluff, duck duck goose, keep away, and others that were just made up on the spot. Even Pokkle and Hanzo joined in a few times. It was the most fun she had had since she got there.

The real reason she wanted to play these games was for Gon and Killua. Neither of them had ever had the chance to play such games. They deserved to have some fun before everything went sideways.

The answers she gave to Netero's interview were already formed when she walked in. The applicants that caught her interest were #405, Gon and #99, Killua. The one she least wanted to fight was #301, Gittarackur(Illumi).

After that, Aala had no idea where the time went. Before she knew it, it was the dreaded day. The day Gon gets the crap beaten out of him and the day Killua is forcibly made to go home.

She took a deep breath to steel herself for the day. Gon's arm would heal. They would get Killua back and get some strength training. She idly wondered where she would place on Netero's chart.

Aala got breakfast with the others but was mostly quiet. The others noticed her silence but left her alone. It was probably for the best

They were all lined up in front of the covered board and eagerly awaited the cover to be pulled off. When it was there were surprised gasps across the room while Aala quickly pinpointed her number. The was to fight Bodoro before Leorio. She winced slightly, getting a bad feeling.

The first fight was between Hanzo and Gon. Aala walked in between Leorio and Kurapika then whispered to them, "No matter how much you want to, don't interfere. It will turn out just fine, but this is going to last awhile." They tensed slightly, but nodded anyway.

Satisfied that they were taken care of, she walked over to Killua. "Gon is in for a major beating. Brace yourself." Killua looked at her slightly surprised to hear such words said on such a calm tone, but when he looked at her he could see the slight creases of worry, fear, and uncertainty on her face that he'd seen all too often. He understood that she was much more worried than she let on and nodded.

Aala looked sideways at Killua. She had felt she could be more blunt with him, but she wasn't sure who her words were supposed to convince more. She turned to the fight just as the judge said, "Begin!"

At first Aala watched but unconsciously, her hand shot out from her side and clutched Killua's. His eyes widened at the sudden contact, but remembering her words and knowing she was seeking comfort, he clutched her hand in return. Every time a blow fell, her hand tightened momentarily then loosened. But the blows fell so often, it just felt like her hand was pumping.

After about half an hour she couldn't bare to watch anymore and rested her face on top of Killua's head. Even though she knew he would be fine, Aala couldn't help but pray for Gon to get through this, to be alright, like she'd seen him do countless times before.

About an hour later, Leorio gripped her shoulders and turned her to face him. "Is his what was supposed to happen!? Why are you not doing anything!?" Leorio growled through gritted teeth, fury blazing in his eyes.

Aala fearlessly met those eyes and growled back, "I already told you, I'm not going to change the story, only try to make things better after something bad happens. And try to think about how I'm feeling. I knew this was going to happen and couldn't do anything to stop it. I love Gon dearly and I have to just sit on the sidelines watching while he gets the crap beaten out of him."

Leorio looked into her eyes and saw her pain and sorrow. She looked away from him and whispered, "It's only about half over and things are going to get worse before they get better. You should prepare yourself." He released her and went back to standing beside Kurapika.

When Aala heard Bodoro and Pokkle mumbling something about three hours, she knew it was almost over, but the worst was just ahead. Hearing the snap of Gon's arm brought bile to the back of her throat, but also relief, knowing that it was just a few more minutes until Gon won the match.

As soon as Gon seemingly magically took control of the situation, a pure laugh consisting of relief, joy and pride escaped her. Aala saw how Killua was looking around with a confused look on his face, she took it upon herself to answer his unspoken question.

"A fight isn't always about raw ability, Killua." He turned to her, surprised. "In any sort of fight, there are almost always other factors involved such as: one opponent's physical and mental condition, any prior knowledge of the other, or the ever important element of surprise. You should never forget that. With the proper conditions, a weak opponent can defeat a strong one." Killua didn't seem to completely believe what she was saying, but nodded any way.

Aala would forever be amazed at Gon's sheer stubbornness, how he could keep calm even when there was a blade pointed at his head. And she would forever admire the fact that he could forgive the person causing him such pain, even when they were threatening his life.

Though, she would always wish he wasn't so selfish and couldn't blame Hanzo from knocking him out. As she watched the judges place Gon on a stretcher, she felt it was for the best. Aala shuttered to think what may of happened if Gon was conscious during Killua's fight with his brother.

The rest of the fights leading up to the one she was really dreading passed by in a blur. Aala took her position to fight with Bodoro, but Leorio called her back and asked for a postponement due to Bodoro's physical condition. She winced, but couldn't help but smile. So he really did ask for the postponement out of concern, not just to delay his own fight. That was good to know.

Aala watched with sad eyes as Killua came to take her place on the floor. Before she relinquished her place, she grabbed his arm and whispered, "I'm so sorry. So sorry. I can't do anything to stop this and I can't warn you. Just know that we will come for you, we will rescue you. Remember that and remember that you have friends."

Killua looked at her and smiled cockily. "Who's going to need rescuing? I think you may be exaggerating." His smile became more serious and he added, "I'll be fine." Aala just nodded and walked away before she could dissolve into tears.

She walked to Leorio and Kurapika and whispered to them, "Please hold me back, I do not think I will be able to restrain myself." They both looked surprised, but grabbed on to her forearms and griped tightly.

When the judge began the match and Illumi revealed himself, Aala felt her heart ache. The horrified expression Killua wore on his face was so much more heart wrenching in person. Illumi began to spout his nonsense words about how Killua was only a murderer and how he was unqualified to have friends. He feebly tried to defend himself, but was next to helpless in the face of his brother.

Just when Leorio would've interrupted after Killua told his brother he wanted to become friends with Gon, she cut in instead. "Don't you dare listen to him, Killua." Aala could hear the hard edge in her own voice. "I can tell this person who calls himself your brother knows nothing of you, so how can he tell you what you are? You are you, and you decide who you are, no one else."

Killua looked to her then and what he saw scared him. Her eyes were hard and cold as they had been around the fire on Zevil Island. Leorio and Kurapika were actively holding her back and Killua hoped they could keep her there. Aala pulled her lips back in a snarl before she continued. "That person in front of you doesn't care for you in the slightest, he only wants you for a puppet. He spouts nothing but lies to get you to do what he wants. You can't listen to him and think he really knows you. I've only known you for two weeks and I can already tell that you are the complete opposite of how he says you are!" She looked like she wanted to say more, but she stopped herself.

Her eyes softened to their normal tone and she shouted, "Besides, you don't have to _become_ Gon's friend, you already are his friend in his books!"

Illumi turned his head sharply towards her before turning back to his brother. "So this is the nonsense you've been listening to? That's not good, an assassin like you can't have such frivolous ideas in their head. You even made a friend on top of that, seems you need a lesson. I'll just have to kill Gon."

Everyone froze then. As Illumi extracted Gon's location from an unfortunate judge, Aala, Kurapika, Leorio, Hanzo, and other judges blocked the way to Gon. She was glaring at Illumi with every ounce of hatred she felt for him. If looks could kill, hers would have wiped out all of New York City.

Then, realizing he couldn't kill anyone just yet, Illumi turned to his brother and advanced on him. Aala kept her mouth shut even when Leorio was shouting at Killua to just finish off his brother. She knew what would happen and no amount of words could change that, Illumi's nen would see to that.

As it went before Killua surrendered to his brother, but Aala thought he might have lasted a little longer. She wanted to growl when Illumi patted Killua's head like he was some cute little dog, but she contained it. Illumi had passed and was now able to kill her, best not aggravate him.

Aala approached Killua with tears in her eyes, who had slinked over to the wall and sat down. She called to him but received no reaction. Kneeling in front of him, Aala reached up a hand and felt around the area of his scalp where she knew the needle was implanted. She felt nothing but that also meant nothing. Any sort of entry wound could have been closed up by nen.

She had always preferred to believe the needle had been implanted when Killua was young, thinking he may have put up some resistance to going out and killing people. It seemed more fitting to the image she had gotten of Killua that he would have at one point in his training required the needle to make him more responsive to Illumi's teachings. Well, regardless, it was there now.

Summoning up the courage to look into Killua's eyes, Aala gasped. His eyes were completely blank. It wasn't like when he went into assassin mode, more like everything that made Killua, Killua was wiped from his eyes like expo marker off a whiteboard.

Upon seeing the state of his eyes, Aala completely lost it and threw her arms around him, sobbing. She apologized again and again, drawing him close. She may as well have been hugging a giant doll, but Aala held out the hope that Killua could still hear her somehow. She whispered how she knew Illumi was wrong about him, what she thought of him, and how much she cared for him.

Eventually, her name was called to go and fight. Before she left, Aala whispered one last thing to Killua and it was the one she hoped he heard above all else. "I know what you're about to do isn't your fault and above all else, know I have already forgiven you. You are not a monster."

Aala stood in front of Bodoro and prepared for what was to come. Before the judge could start the match, she saw Killua ghost behind Bodoro and couldn't help herself. She ran forward, thinking she maybe able to stop what was about to happen. Maybe she could stop Killua from being forced home. Maybe-

A clawed hand erupted from Bodoro's chest, splattering everything near with his blood. Aala felt the blood splatter over her body and face. She heard the dull thump of Bodoro hitting the floor. She numbly looked down at her hands and saw red droplets and splotches. She felt her face and felt wetness. She licked her lips and tasted metal. She looked in front of her and saw a bloody murder.

And it was all done with Killua's hands. Aala saw him standing over the dead body, his hand completely red and some red on his left cheek, then walk past her to the door. His eyes were still blank, and probably would be until he got 'home'. She couldn't turn her head to follow him as he left, her eyes were riveted on the scene before her.

The sound of the door closing might as well have been a gunshot. The ache in her heart might as well have been a bullet.

Aala fell to her knees and took in the scene playing out. There were already judges checking Bodoro for any signs of life. Netero and the other Hunters were talking. There were two pairs of hands on her shoulders, shaking her. There were two voices calling to her, but she couldn't make them out.

They had taken the body away, leaving a huge puddle of blood. Aala clutched her head and drew herself into a ball on the ground. That had just happened. She had just seen a man murdered right in front of her. She really had that man's blood all over her. And it was Killua that caused it all. Killua, the 12 year old boy she had comforted on the airship, the one she had pestered to rest on Zevil Island, the one she loved like a brother.

Aala was starting to hyperventilate and the world was starting to spin. She did the only thing she could do at the moment.

She screamed.

* * *

Well, was it worth the wait? I'm sorry if anything didn't live up to anyone's expectations. If you spy a problem, please inform me via the box below. Don't know what else to say after ending it like that.

One question: Do you want me to inform anyone else about Aala's situation? Please answer.

*Sorry! I choked. Help with thinking of questions for them to ask. PLEASE!

*Excuse my French. Sorry- wait, not sorry. I meant every single word, though it may not be grammatically correct! (And more.)


	8. Reactions and Revelations

So, chapter 8! Note that in this chapter I will be bringing something in that I hinted at in Ch. 2, but couldn't find a plausible way to squeeze in before now. It is _extremely_ important to the story and my way of explaining some things. Will attribute to the story greatly! It will be brought in near the end of the chapter and will be continued and explained in the next. Well, now you know.

And sorry if some of this chapter seems a little meh and for my lateness, had to deal with some mild writer's block. I knew where I wanted to take some scenes, but didn't quite know how to get them there. This was the first time I had to completely rewrite a scene. Sorry :P

Replies to Reviews:

Killugon Fangirl - I don't want to tell anyone else either, just thought I should ask. There was no perceivable way I could think of to change events, so I stuck to them. And she'll definitely give him some love, he deserves it. And always, thank you for always leaving a review! :D

Whiskeringst - I felt like that the first time I watched that fight. I'm glad reading my writing makes you want to write. Whenever you post your story, I'll be happy to read and review it! ;) And I look forward to receiving your reviews every time I post a new chapter. I was incredibly happy to find after I posted chapter 4 that you had reviewed for every chapter. Thanks so much for that! Looking forward to your next review! :)

Isella of the wolf tribe - I'm glad it was worth it, I was worried that the chapter might be lacking something. Just asked in case anyone wanted anyone else to know. And I'm happy at least one other person would like to call Illumi such names. ;)

The last Nightwalker - I read your fanfic. Seems good so far, want to see where you go with it! And I really _can't_ see Killua any other way than my OC sees him. That is truly how I view him. There will be a discussion about that, just need a way to frame it. Well, it was nice to see a fellow Hispanic reviewing my story! I'm half Mexican, half Nicaraguan. I'm pitifully lacking with Spanish skills, though.

So, yeah. Ch. 8, hope it's good, especially the bit at the end. Enjoy! :)

* * *

Aala was lying in the warm water of the bathtub, trying to fully absorb what she had experienced just a little while ago. She replayed the scene over and over in her head for who knows how long. Vaguely, she recalled Leorio and Kurapika leading her to the room where she was know and suggesting she clean herself up.

Recalling how hot baths were supposedly able to help relieve stress, she let the almost steaming water fill the tub. While it was filling, Aala wiped as much blood off of her as possible and added some soap to the filling bathtub.

Once the tub was full enough and there was a foamy layer of bubbles on top, Aala undressed herself and lowered her aching body into the still hot water. She winced slightly, seeing as she always preferred a much cooler temperature, but quickly got used to it.

The tub was much longer and wider than the ones she had at home and Aala greatly appreciated that. She was able to completely stretch out and relax, while trying to absorb all that had happened that day.

Her thoughts had come full circle again and she was about to go for another round when she realized the water had cooled to more warm than hot. Aala remembered her purpose in drawing the bath in the first place and reached for a scrub to clean herself.

Aala was merciless; many peaches of skin were scrubbed so fiercely, they turned to an irritated red. Nevertheless, this was the first chance she had to properly clean her body in two weeks and she wasn't going to waste it. She didn't let up until every nook and cranny was cleaned.

After she was done assaulting herself, Aala stood and let the water drain. It was a bit murky with a reddish tint that made her wince. As it was draining she switched the water to the shower head and turned her attention to her hair.

Applying the cool shampoo to her hand then her hair, Aala had to fight the temptation to pull at it in frustration. She really had been pathetic, hadn't she? She had completely frozen after Killua killed Bodoro and needed Leorio and Kurapika to lead her here in the first place. For the umpteenth time _that day_ she doubted herself.

The doubts had been plaguing her ever since Trick Tower. Aala feared that she would become like a ball and chain to both Gon and Killua should she continue traveling with them. Sure, she had been able to keep up in the exam, but that was nothing compared to what's to come.

Aala finished punishing herself after she washed the last of the conditioner out of her hair. She stepped out and went to dry herself. As she was doing so, she had to run the towel over several raw patches of skin. She winced and thought maybe she should have been a bit more gentle.

Every applicant had been given a room to stay the night in with a bathroom attached, so when Aala was mostly dried and dressed, she stepped out of the bathroom and observed the room. It looked like an ordinary hotel room with a bed, a nightstand, a desk and a few chairs. One of them was knocked over and Aala remembered tripping over it on her way to the bathroom.

She set the chair straight and sat on her bed. Despite all her best efforts, she still couldn't get over what she had seen. There were tears gathering behind her eyes but Aala refused to let them out. _I've done enough crying, I need to pull it together_ she scolded herself.

Aala must have spent more time in the bathroom than she thought, because just then Leorio and Kurapika knocked on her door. The windows behind them were dark, signifying that it was night know. "Are you alright?" Kurapika asked in a gentle tone. She nodded and then he asked, "Was all of that supposed to happen?" Another nod. "Do you think you're up for getting some food?"

Taking a deep breath, Aala answer the question. "Yeah, I think so." She offered a tired smile. "Thanks for checking on me." She walked out of her door and closed it behind her. The other two led the way to where they would be served.

They both noted their friend's gloomy mood and glanced at eachother. They were in agreement; they needed to distract Aala from that day's events and cheer her up. As they sat at a table and got their food, Kurapika was the first to try. "So, Aala, is there anything we need to know about the future?"

She thought for a moment then said, "Gon will wake up tomorrow and then we will leave to rescue Killua."

Leorio started a bit. "Isn't 'rescue' a little dramatic?"

Aala looked sadly at him. "Killua comes from a family of assassins. When he ran away, he stabbed his brother and slashed his mother on the way out. Do you really think they'd give him a warm welcome?"

Kurapika glared at Leorio and tried more directly. "I've thought of some questions I wanted to ask." Aala looked up from her plate expectedly at him. "I was wondering just how similar or different our two worlds are."

"That's a pretty broad question, one that could take hours to answer properly. Care to narrow that down?" Aala asked putting her elbow on the table and resting her chin in her hand.

Trying to think of a neutral, if not positive subject, he suggested, "How about the differences between the plant and animal life."

Aala visibility brightened at that and smiled. "Good, a topic I really know about." She paused getting her thoughts together. "Okay, for starters, there are no magical beasts in my world." The two looked surprised at that and Aala plunged on. When she was young, she had loved to watch Animal Planet on t.v. She was especially fond of hour long documentaries; she even made her dad buy the entire collection of Planet Earth on blu ray.

Their plan was working in cheering Aala up, setting her strolling down memory lane to happy hours spent learning. Though, she trailed off when she got to the part where the people were completely screwing up the environment.

Leorio noticed that she was losing steam and thought it would be time for a change of topic. "Well, how about a little history from your world, it must be very different." Aala knew of course what they were trying to do and she latched on to the new topic like a life line.

"I'm so glad you asked, history is my favorite subject at school." Aala started out from the ancient history she knew the best; Grease, Egypt, and Rome. For the first two, most of what she knew was mythology but that was the part she liked best. She skimmed what she knew of the Middle Ages and went to the late 1400's, when America was discovered.

Aala quickly progressed to the revolutionary war, and giving the best portal possible of it and the events leading up to it. As she got closer to the present, her mind started to come to the more recent history she had learned when her English teacher was having them read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

She had been teaching the class about justice and injustice, cases both found in the book and in history, and most were of injustice. The other two could see she was becoming bitter over it and tried to find a new topic. It went like that for a while; finding a new topic, then Aala remembering something bad about it and reverting to the gloomy mood she was in before.

When they ran out of things to talk about, Aala took the lead. "Thanks for what you're trying to do, guys, but it's not working very well." Both of them played innocent to what she was hinting at and rolled her eyes. "I know what you've both been trying to do; I was upset over what had happened in the last phase, so as friends you were trying to cheer me up. It's a fairly standard strategy in the stories I have come across."

They both grinned sheepishly. "What happens after?" Leorio chuckled.

"Well, I think this is the part where I stop bottling everything up and spill my guts to the two of you." Aala answered and gave them her own sheepish smile.

The two waited for her to spill, but she stayed silent. Kurapika realized she needed a push, so he gave her one. "Well, what have you been bottling up?"

Aala sighed and put her elbows on the table and covered her face with her hands. "I guess that I've been so terrified. Ever since Trick Tower." Taking a deep breath and turning her head up so her chin was in her hands, she continued. "I've already told you what's terrifying me on the airship three days ago, but what happened today really brought the realization home.

"I have seen those events so many times, the only thing that was different was the fact that I was there in person instead of on the other side of a screen." Aala gave a mild huff of almost laughter. "That and also the fact that everything was so much more personal.

"I longed to tell both Gon and Killua just what both of them would be facing, I didn't and everything turned out the same. But what really gets me is the way I froze after it all happened."

Leorio interrupted her then. "You can't blame yourself for how you reacted. Any normal person would have reacted the same, probably worse."

"That's the point!" Aala snapped. "I can't react like a normal person! A normal person won't be able to handle everything that's to come." She hid her face in her hands. "A normal person would be a burden on Gon and Killua, so I can't be normal anymore."

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up into kind gray/brown eyes. Leorio had come to sit next to her and wrapped his arm. "I think you're selling yourself short. No normal person could be able to take the Hunter exam and survive, let alone pass." he comforted.

"And besides," Kurapika added placing his hand on her arm, "I'm sure that information of the future will come in handy at some point."

Aala laughed bitterly. "Sure, but the things coming are infinitely more challenging than the exam, not to mention what it would demand of me, mentally and physically. And even if by some miracle I am able to keep up, there's no guarantee that any information I give out will actually help or make things worse. Half of the time, they get out of the tough spot they are in by luck and Lady Luck can be quite fickle."

"Aala, you can't let those doubts weigh you down or else they will come true." Leorio said and patted her arm.

She let out a sigh. "In my head I know you're right, that's what I would tell a character in this sort of situation." Aala sorted through all of the doubts she had and finally let herself cry. She finally accepted that she was probably going to be doing that a fair amount of times. Better to let it all out than keep it inside waiting to explode.

Leorio pulled her closer and she buried her face in his chest. She faintly registered that his scent was similar to her father's and buried her face a little deeper, hungry for the comforting scent. "I just don't want anything to go wrong. I've seen many hypothetical situations that involve knowledge of the future and everything goes wrong." Aala sobbed.

Kurapika had come up behind her and was rubbing her back while Leorio pulled her into a full on hug. "I d-don't want to hold them back. I don't want them to get hurt anymore than what's coming. I don't want-" Aala stopped there, as she reached the last fear she had. It was the one that was half formed in the tower, one that she pushed into a corner before she could fully process it.

As she finally did proses it, she jerked violently away from Leorio and Kurapika. Both of her hands were covering her mouth and her tears were flowing silently. The two were about to ask what was wrong then the completely horrified look in her eyes made them pause.

"What is it Aala?" Kurapika cautiously asked.

"-to die." Aala finished softly.

Both were confused by this answer and Leorio asked, "What do you mean?"

"I don't want to die." Then in a firmer tone she said. "No, I _can't_ die."

Both were even further confused by this, Aala didn't seem the voice such fears. "If that's what all the panic was about, then-"

"No! You don't understand." Aala cut Kurapika off. "I have known that my life would be in danger and that I could very possibly lose it since the tower. It terrified me, but after facing all the challenges there, I was ready for it."

"Then why-"

"Because of Gon!" The statement and the ferocity it was said with startled them both. Aala swallowed and proceeded to explain. "I don't want to sound conceded, but I know I have become a precious friend to Gon. I will admit that the series focused mainly on Gon and Killua so I know them best. Over the series, only one person that befriended them was killed."*

Aala froze as the images washed over her. She had only seen that particular episode one time because she couldn't bear to see Gon go through such anguish. Lucky, Leorio jolted her out of her thoughts and asked, "So, how does that matter?" he asked softly.

"It matters because of how Gon reacted." She paused and got her thoughts together. "I can honestly say, that the thing that scares me the most would be Gon's reaction to his death. I can't and won't make Gon go through that sort of pain more than he needs to." Her sobs were coming back in full force and she said. "I love both of them like they were my own younger brothers, and I don't want them to go through that sort of pain over me."

Both of them understood what she meant. Leorio pulled her back into his hug. Aala let him and cried herself to sleep on his chest. Absentmindedly, she told them before she drifted off, "I always wanted older brothers too." Then she was off.

Leorio looked up from the sleeping girl on his chest and asked Kurapika, "So, what did you think of all that?"

Kurapika sighed. "Well, that was a lot of information to take in but I am sure of one thing; this won't be easy for Aala. She'll need to conquer those fears she voiced to us if she hopes to keep them from becoming reality."

Leorio looked back down at the sleeping girl and picked her up. "Well, we should get her back to her room. It'll most likely be a long day tomorrow." Kurapika nodded and followed him.

XXXXXXXX

Aala woke up in bed with no memory of how she got there. After a moment, her memory returned to her and knew Leorio and Kurapika must have carried her to bed that night. She sat up and prepared herself for the day ahead. Gon would wake up and confront Illumi. Illumi will try to kill Gon, but Hisoka will stop him. And the four of them will leave for Kukuroo mountain.

Fortified by the talk last night, Aala got ready and headed to the Hunter orientation. Leorio and Kurapika were already there and she went to go sit by them. "Glad to see your doing better." Leorio said cheerfully.

"Yeah, thanks for the talk last night. I really need it." Aala responded in the same cheery tone. "I assume that you have already filed the complaint against Killua being disqualified?"

Kurapika looked like he was about to ask how she knew, but changed his question. "Do you know what happened to make Killua do what he did?"

Aala's eyes darkened. "Yes, I do and so do the examiners."

"But then, why is Killua still disqualified?" Leorio asked, surprised.

"Because, what it would take to make the explanation reasonable would take them revealing something they would rather keep quiet." Aala said bitterly.

Before either of them could say anything, the orientation began. She already knew all of the information so she listened idly, preferring to keep her eye on the door in. Eventually the door slammed open and Gon marched in. He made a beeline for Illumi and the argument began.

And just like she had seen many times before, Gon was the one to end it. It seemed like it was the older version, meaning that everyone but Gon was excused. He had to get the orientation as he had come in as it was about finished.

Once he got out, Aala, Leorio, and Kurapika followed him as he went to get Killua's location form Illumi. Of course, it ended up with a fight between them. Well, you could call it a fight, but Illumi was just toying with Gon and could have easily killed him.

Leorio and Kurapika had to hold her back and Aala was grateful for that. Just like before Illumi saw the the potential in Gon and Aala could see him get a needle ready to throw at him. But before he could, Hisoka was there and gave a silent warning to Illumi and he backed down.

Aala gave a sigh of relief once Illumi told Gon where Killua went. After the exchange was over she went out and hugged Gon. "Well, know that that's taken care of, let's go and get the tickets for the flight."

Just as the group was leaving, Aala felt a chill run down her spine and saw Hisoka standing in the shadows behind her. She bowed her head in gratitude and went to join her friends trying to forget the smile Hisoka had plastered on his face.

XXXXXXXX

Due to the traffic, the foursome had to run in order to make the flight on time. She was out of breath by the time they reached the terminal. They were about to board when Aala noticed that Gon had stopped and looked behind him.

"Gon, is something wrong?"

He turned and looked at her. "Not really. I just thought I saw something." When she didn't look convinced, he caught up with her and said, "I didn't sense anything bad, just familiar. Come on, the others are already boarded." Gon ran past her and boarded.

Aala hesitated for a second. She looked back trying to spot anything that could have caught Gon's interest but didn't see anything. She shook her head. _Oh, it's probably nothing. I'm just getting jumpy. Maybe Hisoka decided to stalk us._ This idea didn't scare her as she knew that the creepy clown wouldn't do anything even if he was there.

She was right that someone stalked them, but there was no possible way that she could have guessed who was doing the stalking. After all, he wasn't supposed to be there anymore than she was.

He had been waiting for them at the airport for a couple of hours so they could board first. He had known which flight they were taking by hacking the airline's system and got two tickets by the same method. He and his partner had been watching for them by sitting in the waiting area for the next terminal over.

When he had seen the group of four hurrying past, he couldn't resist taking a closer look and followed a fair distance behind them. It was a bad idea, he should have known one of them would sense _something_ and it was Gon, again.

Gon stopped and looked straight at him. It took all he had not to panic and duck out of the way. Instead, he calmly changed directions and walked behind one of the many thick pillars that were spaced out on either side of the walkway every 50 feet. He heard the exchange between him and Aala, then decided it was safe to peek out.

He was wrong. Aala lingered there and scanned the crowd. Momentarily, her eyes flashed to him and he continued with the motion that was originally intended to only poke his head out from behind the pillar and walked across the hall

Before he had gotten five feet, her eyes left him and continued their scanning. He continued walking despite that so he didn't draw her attention again. After all, the only way she would notice him was if he deviated from just crossing. He looked fairly average; a 15 year old teen with caramel colored skin, short black hair, brown eyes and wearing a plain red shirt with brown shorts wouldn't exactly stand out in a crowd otherwise.

He saw Aala shake her head and then board the flight. After he was sure she wouldn't notice him he ran over to where his partner, or rather sister, was waiting. Her skin, eyes and hair were the same as her brother, but her hair was long and done in several braids. She was dressed similarly to her brother, but her top was green and her shorts were beige.

She looked up from the papers she had been reading and asked, "What did you think you were doing, Lux? There was no need to check up like you just did, we could have sent a fly out to do that."

"I know, I know, but I wanted to make sure with my own eyes." Lux sat next to his sister. "There are some things that your precious flies' eyes can't make out, Minty, that human eyes can." he huffed.

Minty glared at her brother. "Well excuse me if I didn't want a repeat of the last time you 'made sure with your own eyes'. You nearly blew our cover then, if I hadn't come along and kept Gon from catching up to you, we would be in deep trouble by know."

Lux returned her glare. "Well, excuse me if I wanted to make sure she was handling everything alright."

"There wouldn't be a need for that if we brought her in for a briefing at the beginning like I suggested we should." Minty snapped back.

"I already gave my reasons for wanting to brief her until now. Besides, what's done is done and we will have three days to tell her everything."

Minty scoffed. "Yeah, good luck with that. I'm sure she'll _love_ your reasons for keeping her in the dark." She looked at the time and saw the flight left in ten minutes. "Shouldn't we board know?"

Lux looked away. "Let's give it another few minutes."

"Why, so you can put off coming clean a little while longer?" He didn't respond, just looked out the window to the airship. Minty sighed and looked back at the papers in her hand. "Sometimes I can't believe you're a year older."

* * *

Well, did I do good? I hope I did, I hope I didn't get too mushy or sappy. Please tell me if I did so I can tone it down. Please no overripe tomatoes. (Throws up arms to protect herself)

(Peaking out from behind arms) By the way, the next chapter will probably be posted in about two weeks. I'm going to visit my cousin and won't have much time to write, but I will try to make it a longer chapter to make up for it, okay? Sorry for the wait especially because the last chapter and this one was posted late.

Last but not least, please leave me what you thought of all this in the box below, it would be nice to hear from people that haven't reviewed yet. I would also love to hear your theories about that last bit, worked hard to get it worded right. I would even welcome flames because they would point out things that I may need to fix. So until next time, hope you stick around!

*Technically, Kite was in fact dead for a period of time so, yeah


	9. Airships and Acquaintances

So, so, sorry for the wait, especially since it took longer than I thought it would. The visit lasted longer than I thought it would. Also add to that, I was helping my cousin take care of her three year old and two month old. I didn't mention it before because I didn't think they'd like me as much as they do.

The result was, baby duty was split _very_ unevenly. I'm not complaining, the two were a joy to be around, if extremely damaging. I thought I'd have little spaces throughout the day to write a few paragraphs along with right before bed and as soon as I woke up, but not so much. Then I had to type everything.

Well, I finally got the chapter out and the visit was a a little over two weeks. This is the second longest chapter I've written, so I hope that makes up for the lateness. I had more planned, but I was already late enough. Hopefully the next chapter will be out in a week.

Well, here is the next chapter! Hope I explained everything clear enough.

Replies to Reviews:

Killugon Fangirl - Well, I'll be saying who they are in this chapter and answer the question you asked. Don't worry, they won't get in the way. At least for now... Well, just have to see where the story takes me on that note! Don't know if I'll change what happened to Kite, but I have an idea, and I think it's a good one, so I probably will end up saving him. The thing I'm pretty sure I'm not going to change is Gon and Killua separating, because I never saw it as sad. I think of it more as a 'See you soon' over a plan 'Goodbye'. But it won't be for long...

Isella of the wolf tribe - Thanks, glad that you like it! This chapter will have plenty of side story, in fact, I have big plans for this story that will eventually make it revolve around the side story. It will probably happen at the end of either the Greed Island arc or the Election arc, depending on how everything goes. I hope you like it! :)

Whiskeringst - Well, you could say there's both a group _and_ an organization. As you can probably guess, one is good, the other is bad. I don't know why I keep on making that same spelling mistake, but I guess I get into typing it and don't really catch it when I reread. Well really, thanks for doing that, leaving the reviews, it makes me happy. :D I'll be sure to do the same for you when you post your story.

MidoriEmerald13 - Well, I'm glad you like it! I do my absolute best when writing the chapters and am happy you took the time to leave a review. :) Good try on the theory, it's actually very close.

So, here's chapter 9! Hope you like it. I've been working on this chapter in my head from nearly the beginning. Enjoy! (I also don't own any of the other franchises I mentioned)

* * *

The inside of the airship was about what Aala expected. They had booked a direct flight to the nearest airport to Kukuroo mountain, and it would be flying for three days. Kurapika explained that the rooms could be booked in singles or doubles. The front part of the ship was used for bathrooms, dining room, and some big windows, while the back was where the rooms were.

The rooms were kind of like what there was on the Hunter committee's airship except the rooms were much smaller, about the size of a fair sized walk in closet. There were slots on the upper parts of the two walls where the beds were and padded seats under them.

At first, when he was booking the flight, Kurapika was going to get three rooms so Aala could have a room to herself, but she turned down the offer. "I'll just bunk with Gon." she told them.

They looked a bit unsure and Aala rolled her eyes at that. "It'll be fine. I already told you that I love Gon like a brother and I seriously doubt that Gon would try anything."

Gon accepted the confession from Aala without blinking and choose to focus on the latter statement. "Try what?" he asked with a curious look on his face. She just gave the other two a _See what I mean?_ look and booked two rooms.

They each left any bags they had in the bed they would be sleeping in then regrouped in the room that Leorio and Kurapika would be sharing. They waited in silence until the flight took off, each absorbed in their own thoughts. Gon broke the silence, then they just talked about whatever came to mind.

Approximately 10 minutes after the flight took off, there was a knock at the door. "I wonder who that could be." Aala said and stood to open the door.

Aala had no way of knowing this, but the person on the other side of the door had been standing there for a good five minutes. _What the heck am I supposed to say to her?_ Lux wondered in his head. That thought had kept his fist from coming into contact with the door.

 _There is no good way to say any of this! 'Hi, I'm the person who got you into this whole mess without telling you. By the way I stalked you for the past few months and kidnapped you'?_ Lux knocked his fist against his head instead. _She'd probably just sick the other three on me if I told her that._

Lux's mind had generated an endless supply of reasons not to knock on the door, but he knew he had to. Taking a deep breath, he firmly knocked on the door. When he saw the door open and Aala's face come out, he had to fight the urge to run. "Can I help you?" she asked politely.

Glancing around the room, Lux saw the other three sitting there and watching him expectantly. He gulped and asked, "Can I talk to you, alone?"

Leorio immediately stood and took Aala's place in the door frame. "I don't know what you're trying to pull..."

Lux put his hands up submissively. "Not anything like that." He looked past Leorio and locked eyes with Aala. "I was just wondering how Aala was liking her anime."

What Lux expected and what happened were two wildly different things. He expected Aala to widen her eyes and take him to the other room to talk, then he'd explain. Aala did widen her eyes, but so did the other three.

Instead of being taken to the other room, he was dragged into that room and tossed to the bench that was now empty, looking at a stern faced Aala sitting between Gon and Kurapika. Leorio closed the door and leaned against it, presumably to keep him from escaping.

All the politeness that Aala had opened the door with went out the window. "How do you know that word?" She growled from her set directly opposite to their new captive.

Blinking, Lux took in Leorio's and Kurapika's expressions that mirrored Aala's and Gon's expression that looked confused and slightly worried. Taking that all in and the fact that he was now trapped in the room, he came to a conclusion that he stupidity didn't consider. "You told them?" Lux felt like smacking his forehead. He should have seen this coming.

Aala narrowed her eyes. "Told them what?"

He gulped and looked at everyone's faces again. "That you're not from here."

"Of course I told them." Aala snapped. "Killua too. As soon as I realized my situation, I told them all the first chance I got. There was no way in hell I couldn't tell them." She glared at the person sitting opposite her. "I can assume that you're from the same place I am."

Lux nodded and Aala nodded with him. She clasped her hands together and placed her elbows on her knees, then rested her chin in her hands. "Now, tell me," she said her face looking a little confused, "do I know you?"

Everyone looked surprised at the question and looked at him. Lux rubbed the back of his head with his hand nervously. "So you recognized me?" Her look gave him all the answer he needed. He sighed and said tentatively, "I guess there's no need to meet me in the park then."

Gasping, Aala remembered where she'd seen this person before...

XXXXXXXX

It was a normal Thursday afternoon in summer. School had let out the week before and Aala was enjoying her freedom. She was going to walk her dog as it was starting to cool down. Before she left, she was struck by the thought that it was such a good day outside and decided to read in the park. She grabbed her copy of Aesop's Fables and was on her way.

The park was a good mile from where she lived so it was a decent walk. Itself, the park was nothing fancy; a play structure, some swings, a grassy field, and some benches. Aala found a branch in the shade and tied her dog, who she had named Ghost, to the arm of it and sat down to read.

Ghost came over and curiously sniffed her face as if asking why they were stopping. Aala chuckled and scratched behind his ear. "It's only for a little while, boy. I just thought it would be a nice day to read.

When she was done talking, Ghost panted happily and licked her chin causing Aala to chuckle again. She was the only one in her family who liked Ghost licking them. Since she was the one who trained him and the one he spent the most time with, Ghost licked everyone regardless.

Once Aala stopped scratching behind his ear, Ghost laid down on the grass beside the bench. She looked at him fondly for a moment, then opened the book in her hands to a random page and began to read.

Before long, Ghost lifted his head and started to huff as he would before he started to bark. Aala looked up and saw a boy with black hair, brown eyes, and caramel skin coming towards her.

Aala put down her book and wearily asked, "Can I help you?"

The boy, probably around 15, looked a bit nervous. "I just want to talk." He gestured to the other end of the bench. "Is it okay if I sit down?"

Aala looked around; there were some kids and their parents by the play structure and lots of houses within earshot. If the guy tried anything, all she had to do was scream. Besides, Ghost wasn't reacting out of the ordinary when meeting anyone new. She was a firm believer that animals and young children were the best judges of character.

With a nod, Aala gave her permission. He sat down at the other end of the bench. Then he held out his hand and introduced himself. "My name is Luxman, but call me Lux." Lux smiled.

She took his hand and returned the introduction, along with the smile. "My name is Aala."

Ghost came over and sniffed Lux. He laughed and gently started patting his head. "Wow, that's a big dog. What breed is he?"

Aala chuckled, she got that reaction a lot. She scored a few inches closer so she could pet her dog's back. "He's a weimeraner." She right out laughed at his surprised face. "I know that weimaraners are only supposed to be 70-80 pounds. Believe it or not, Ghost here is a pure breed. He's just big." It was the explanation she had given countless times before. Ghost was nearly double the average weight, but wasn't fat but tall and muscular.

From there, they talked about Ghost and Lux's dog, a golden retriever named Buddy. They talked and laughed as only dog lovers could about some of the crazy things their pets did. Eventually, Lux asked about the book in her hand. Aala then scored closer to show him her book.

The conversation turned from dogs to books and they began sharing thoughts on the books they had in common. For the most part, they were best sellers like Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. They also recommended books for the other to read; he The Divide trilogy and she the Gryphon Chronicles series.

They both loved talking to the other and recommending some of their favorites to the other. It was nice having someone else share their viewpoints on some of her favorite books.

When they were beginning to run out of steam, Lux asked the perfect question to keep the conversation going strong. "Do you like anime?"

Aala's eyes lit up and she began talking about the show that _really_ got her started watching anime, Fullmetal Alchemist(both versions)*. Lux's had also watched the anime and talked about it just as animatedly as Aala. They debated the pros and cons of the different versions; the first few episodes of the original were better than the first few of Brotherhood, but it's ending was _infinitely_ better than the original. In the end they decided it was for the individual to decide.

Aala found herself liking Lux more and more as she talked to him. It doubled when he asked about the anime that she was about to bring up. "Have you watched the anime Hunter X Hunter?"

They spent the next solid hour talking about it. They debated the differences between the two versions of the anime as well, but neither really could choose between the two. There were only certain parts that they favored.

When appropriate, Lux asked questions like; "What would you do if you took the Hunter exam?", "How would you deal with Hisoka and Illumi?", and "Would you try to change anything?"

Aala answered the questions as best she could. There was no definite about how she would take any of that, but she answered how she hoped to take it. She returned every question enthusiastically.

When Aala's mom called for the fifth time, Aala looked around and realized that she really should be getting home. The street lights were on, there was no one but them in the park now, and Ghost was snoring on the grass.

With a regretful sigh, Aala stood and woke up Ghost. "I'm sorry to cut our talk short, but I really should be getting home." She held out her hand. "It was nice meeting you, Lux."

Lux shook her hand with a warm smile. "It was a genuine pleasure to meet you too, Aala." She returned his smile and turned to leave. Before she got two steps Lux called, "Wait." and she turned. "Could you meet me here tomorrow, same time?"

Aala shook her head sadly. "Sorry, I can't. My dad is picking my sister and I up tomorrow at four and I won't be back until Monday." Lux looked disappointed but Aala added. "I could meet you here then."

He smiled and nodded, "It's a date then." He seemed to blush slightly saying it.

A light blush was also on Aala's face as she smiled and nodded too. The turned to leave and called over her shoulder, "I'll see you on Monday!"

XXXXXXXX

Now remembering where she knew this person in front of her, Aala glared at him and bristled. "So Lux, if that's even your real name, what was the real reason you wanted to 'talk' to me that day? I'm assuming that you were the one who got me here in the first place."

Lux nodded and nervously licked his lips, even he could sense the anger rising in the girl sitting opposite him. Aala had her eyes squeezed shut and she was breathing deeply, trying to calm herself. She took one last breath and opened her eyes.

"If all of those questions were a sort of interview, as I believe them to be, I would like to know how and why you picked me." Aala calmly stated. Too calmly.

"W-Well, we knew we had to send someone into this world, but none of us met met the qualifications, so we went searching." Lux started.

"We?" Aala interrupted. "Who's 'we' and what were your 'qualifications'?"

"We is me, my sister, who is also on the airstrip, and our friends. Our qualifications were; at strong emotional connection to the Hunter x Hunter anime, the mental strength to cope with the strain of dealing with the challenges you would be presented with, and a certain biochemistry."

Aala nodded and motioned for him to continue. Lux cleared his throat and proceeded, "To start, we set a search radius of 250 miles from our base. Then we traced the feed of Hunter x Hunter episodes to anyone who watched them consistently and observed them to see if they could possibly meet our qualifications. At first it was easy weeding the ones who obviously wouldn't meet our standards, like people marathoning the show for the first time, people who lacked the self confidence needed and such, and people who were too young or old to make a proper connection to the group."

Raising a finger, Aala interrupted again. "How did you observe people well enough to pass or fail them?" At this point, she knew that it was imperative that she absorb and process all the information she was being presented with, so she shoved her anger down. She equivilated it to when everything was being explained at the beginning of the first book in a series. Aala was being told the rules she had to play by, and usually the game was less than friendly. There was no way she was going to lose if her friends were on the line.

Lux pulled something out of his pocket. At first glance, it looked like a dead fly but at closer inspection, the fly was clearly mechanical. "With this." Aala took the fly from his hand and studied it. She gave it to Gon to have a look, who then passed it to Kurapika, then he to Leorio.

As the fly was being passed around Lux explained what it was. "It's a camera designed to look inconspicuous. They are also extremely durable, so they can take being swatted around. They can also stay in the air for eight hours and stay on the wall transmitting for 12."

He took the fly back from Leorio and continued. "We used these to observe all the candidates until we had narrowed it down to 100. Then we equipped the flies to take a small blood sample to check their biochemistry.

"We needed to check your biochemistry to see if you were compatible to a sort of injection that we call Power Juice." Lux answered the unspoken questions in everyone's eyes. "In our world, it gives you enhanced strength, speed, stamina, and other things like that. We found that in this dimension it gives you certain _abilities_." Emphasizing that word and the way he looked into her eyes left Aala no doubt that he meant nen.

"There's about a 50/50 chance any random person will be compatible with it. There were 43 people, including you, that were suitable. After that we began testing each one to narrow it down further, before we got to interviews."

Aala held up a hand, signaling him to pause so she could process the information. They had found her because she watched Hunter x Hunter episodes most days of the week. She was under their watch for an undetermined amount of time (she was pissed at that, but ignored it). They thought she would be a good match and their 'Power Juice' took to her and gave her nen so she could get through the exam (extremely pissed, they messed with her body without her permission). Finally, they put her through tests to further evaluate her.

The other three were feeling awkward in this situation; they had no way to truly contribute anything to the conversation. Besides, this was something that Aala had to deal with on her own for now, then they could help her. Once Aala thought she had control of her emotions, she nodded for Lux to unpause.

"There were three tests; one to test honesty and truth, another to compassion and kindness, the last to test selflessness and courage." As Lux described each test, Aala remembered each one. They were unusual occurrences that really couldn't be anything else under these conditions.

The first one was when she was out with her dad and sister at the movies. She had seen a man drop a bill and when she looked at the bill, it was a 100! Aala immediately chased after the man and needed to pursue him for a few minutes to return the bill, bobbing and weaving through the weekend crowd. By the time she caught up with him, he was almost all the way back to the parking lot. For her trouble, the man had tried to give her ten dollars, but she refused. She only did what any good person should do.

The next one was when she saw a little boy crying in the park. Aala had been on a walk with her dog and took pity on the boy. He had told her that he was lost and didn't know where his home was. He had panicked at the suggestion of calling the police to help him find his home, insisting that he lived around here and asking her to help him find his home.

Aala had been unsure about that, but the boy's obvious distress had moved her to take him in a spiraling path to find any landmarks he recognized. Many times, he lead her in a circle but Aala stayed with him long after a normal person would have just called the cops anyway. Helping the boy had delayed her a few hours before they encountered the boy's parents, who were out looking for him, but Aala didn't really mind all that much. Again they tried to reward her, this time with 50 dollars, but she turned it down again.

The last one was the most bizarre out of the three, and definitely the most dangerous. There was a rather large dog holding two kids hostage on the play structure at the park, barking and looking like it was foaming at the mouth. The dog's owner was there trying to subdue her dog, but wasn't strong enough for that.

When Aala had asked if she should call animal control, the girl had begged her not to. She had insisted that her dog wasn't vicious, just overly excited and he would never intentionally hurt anyone. She had also told Aala that her dog was her best friend and if animal control got him, her parents would force her to get rid of him.

Aala could empathize with her, Ghost was the one she told most of her problems to, even if he couldn't understand. She tied him to a bench, as she was out on a walk with him, and helped the girl gain control of her dog. Even with the both of them working together, it took half an hour to catch the dog. Several times, the dog had caught Aala's arm in his mouth and sort of gnawed at it, but it didn't hurt. It was only dangerous when the dog kept trying to jump on her.

Once they did catch him, the children had already escaped and promised not to tell anyone. The dog was just as his owner described him, overly excited, nothing more and was really quite sweet. Aala was fine, just some red marks on her arm and a couple of bruises from being knocked over. The girl thanked her profusely, saying that most people wouldn't want to help her take control of her dog and call animal control instead. She didn't try to reward Aala, but instead apologized for her inability to. Not that Aala would have taken it anyway.

Now Aala felt a little more angry; all of those tests had cost her time and after each came a scolding from her parents, telling her not to be so trusting and asked if she really knew what people could do to her. This really annoyed her, as she knew perfectly well what could happen and what sick things people could do, with things like killing her for her organs, selling her as some sort of slave over seas, and rape on top of her list.

Lux was smart enough to know that Aala would need some time to process this judging by the expression on her face. Once she had given him the nod to move on, he continued. "There were nine people including you who passed all the tests. We then interviewed all of them with you being last.

"Three were eliminated because it was clear they were just as likely to fawn over Hisoka and Illumi just as much as Gon and Killua. Another two because they would probably try to change events dramatically and _push_ things together." Again there was a hidden meaning in his words, those two would try to get their favorite pairings together.

"One other was dropped because he showed no desire to go to this world at all." All through out the explanation, Lux had been trying to keep as straight a face as possible, but they were getting painfully close to the subject he was dreading. "That left two others, a 17 year old and a 14 year old boys."

"What made me stand out?" Aala asked, some genuine curiosity creeping into her voice.

Lux found his feet extremely interesting at that point. "It was clear out of the three that you were the one with the greatest emotional attachment to the four and you were the one that seemed to understand them the best. Some voted in favor of the 14 year old because he was the smartest, and some favored the 17 year old because he was the strongest. After a few hours of debate, we finally settled on you." He was fighting the urge to squirm, what he dreaded was coming close.

Aala absorbed the last tidbit of information and stored it. This was all backstory, to see if she could trust Lux and his group or not. If they had to send someone in with an emotional attachment to the quartet and that they were telling her, probably met they mean them no harm. Probably. Not the defiantly she wanted.

Holding back all the fury to her eyes and not her voice, Aala asked, "How did you get me here?"

Still finding his feet absolutely fascinating, Lux meekly answered, "We knew from our observations that everyone in your household is asleep by 2am and wouldn't be awake until the earliest 7am. We snuck in a little after 2:30 and kinda... kidnapped you."

Leorio couldn't keep silent anymore. He lunged forward and grabbed Lux by the collar of his shirt. "You just kidnapped her!?" He shouted, outraged on Aala's behalf.

Kurapika was much the same and stood behind Leorio. "Not only that, but you have gotten her into a very difficult position without her consent and with no information." They both looked just as angry as Aala felt.

Before they could say anymore, Aala interrupted them with her all too calm voice. "You kidnapped me." Both Leorio and Kurapika went back to their original positions. Gon flinched inwardly at the overly cool tone of voice Aala was using. He had heard Aunt Mito use the same tone, and yelling was never too far behind.

Lux seemed to know where he was going and gulped. "Tell me, what did you do to get past my dog, he sleeps in my room." That last one was an order, not a question.

"We didn't do anything to harm him" Lux complied. "We only played a frequency that would keep him, and everyone else, asleep and kept it playing until we left. Before we left, we used your backpack to carry all of your supplies so you would know it was yours. I also added your book and iPad so you wouldn't be bored."

After a moment's deliberation, Aala nodded once in gratitude, it was a nice touch. Lux accepted the nod and gave one back. "We sent some people in it register you for the exam beforehand, then injected you with the Power Juice and left you where we knew Gon would see you. And... that's how you got here" Lux finished lamely.

Aala sorted through the information one more time. Everyone else was waiting for her verdict. Only one question was unanswered for her and she voiced it in that too calm voice. "One last question; why didn't you ask me if I was willing to do this in the first place?"

All eyes firmly set on Lux. That was the question they all wanted the answer to. "T-There were d-different views on that question." he shakily started out. "I personally thought it would easier for you to be accepted without knowing all this, so they wouldn't be suspicious."

Lux was squirming slightly under the less than friendly glares coming from Leorio and Kurapika and the odd look coming from Gon. But the look that weighed the heaviest on him,was Aala's calm steely look. "Does your sister share your views on that question?" she asked, frustration leaking into her voice.

Lux balked at that question. "A-Actually, she wanted to... to bring you in and brief you before we sent you in." he said in a small voice.

There was a fire burning in Aala's eyes now, and she made no attempt to hide the fury in her voice. "Are you telling me that I could have had an option?" It was the intensity in her words, not the volume, that mAde everyone flinch but it would soon be added.

"Yes." came the meek reply

Aala lunged forward and pinned Lux to the back of the seat. "Get. Out." she growled in his face then threw him at the door where Leorio had been just seconds before.

"B-But I haven't-" Lux tried to protest, but Aala cut him off.

"I know that you haven't finished explaining, but I'd rather not use my Hunter license to get out of a murder charge. Thanks to your Power Juice, I am more than capable of carrying out my threat." Lux gulped as Aala began to slowly advance towards him.

"You've stalked me, altered my body, and thrown me into an impossible situation without any sort of warning whatsoever and without my permission. And that's just what I know about!" Aala's voice grew to a shout at the last statement and continued at that volume.

"Now you're telling me I could have had a choice!" She was standing directly in front of him now and was jabbing him in the chest with each word. "Who do you think you are! Who gave you the right to do these things to people!"

Aala grabbed a fistful of Lux's shirt and hissed in his face, "This ship in in the air for three more days. Finish your explanation before then!" She opened the door and threw him out. "Bring your sister next time!" she shouted before she slammed the door.

XXXXXXXX

Lux stared at the shut door for a moment before sighing and walking back to the room he shared with his sister. That hadn't gone as well as he hoped, but about as well as he expected.

Minty had a smirk on her face when he watched her brother slink into the room and sulk on the seat across her. "How did it go?"

"Shut up." Lux mumbled and buried his face in his hands.

Her smirk widened and she teased, "Oh, so your girlfriend didn't like what you had to say?"

Lux glared at her from in between his fingers. "Shut. Up."

It was no secret in their group that Lux had developed a huge crush on Aala. When they first started to observe people, Lux had been assigned to watch the group with Aala in it. After two weeks observation, they were supposed to pass or fail the people in their group then switch groups with another person to keep it unbiased.

Instead of passing Aala on with the rest of the group, Lux had requested her to stay in his group. His request was granted because he was he was known for never letting personal opinions affect his judgment. After he made the request a second time, it was clear he had developed a crush. Everyone teased him lightly, but it was all in good fun.

The more Lux had watched her, the deeper the crush became. At first, Lux had hoped that she would be the one to be chosen but as the weeks slipped by he started having second thoughts. Backed on what he saw, Aala was a prime candidate, but if she did end up going in, there was every chance that she could be seriously hurt or worse.

When the number finally did reach 100, Lux was hoping that she would be incompatible with the Power Juice. When she was among the 43 that were compatible, he was tempted to rig her tests. He didn't though, managing to keep his feelings separate and conducted the tests fairly.

Lux insisted that he be the one to interview Aala since he knew her the best. It was also to talk to the girl he liked and to reassure himself that she would be okay.

After the interview, Lux was doubly sure that Aala was the best person for the job. Putting aside his concerns, he argued for Aala to be chosen. Lux had also argued to send her in without telling her for the reason that he had said before and for a more selfish reason; he was afraid that it would hurt his chances with her. But that had probably gone out the window now.

Minty finally took pity on her brother and pulled him from his thoughts. "How far did you get?"

Lux brought his head back up. "I told her how we found and choose her, and how we brought her here." He sighed, "Then she got angry when I told her that some wanted to tell her all of that before we sent her in and kicked me out. Told me to bring you next time."

She nodded and asked, "When will we approach her next then?"

He closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment. Lux then opened his eyes and his mouth twisted into a slight smile. "Tonight at dinner."

Seeing the smile, Minty asked with one of her own, "How will it go?"

Lux's smile spread across his whole face, "Pretty good."

XXXXXXXX

Back in the other room, Aala was fuming in the seat Lux had just vacated. She was angrily muttering words even she didn't understand and massaging her temples. After watching for a few minutes, Gon sat next to her and patted her shoulder until she calmed down.

In the back of her head, she knew that she probably shouldn't have sent Lux off like that; there were still some big holes that needed to be filled. Mostly to explain the most important question; why? Aala took a few more calming breaths then looked at the two sitting across from her and at Gon sitting beside her. "Well, what did you guys think of that?"

The three looked at one another and Kurapika spoke. "Well, we aren't really sure _what_ to make of that." The other two nodded. "I think we need to be enlightened to what happened before all of this started."

She told them everything about the flashback and the tests. She even explained some of the parts that referred to the title of the anime.

When she was done explaining, they all had thoughtful looks on their faces. Leorio was the first one to say something. "Well this all seems ludicrous to me. Some sort of 'Power Juice' to make you better? A test to see if you were good enough to come here? And that you're from a different universe? This is much crazier than I thought the Hunter exam was going to be."

"How do you think I feel?" Aala sighed. "This sort of situation is the sort of thing that only happens in my wildest dreams, and now I'm I the thick of it."

"Well, I can see the strategical value of informing you to all this after the fact." Everyone looked at Kurapika. "As it was, I was extremely suspicious of you when we met and that was you only knowing the future, not all this. If you had known, it most likely would have been near impossible to gain my trust without telling us all of it. Judging by Lux's reaction to your telling us, he didn't think you'd tell us. And if they sent you in like that, they must want us to trust you."

"Of course they did." Aala scoffed. "No doubt they also thought of this as a way to get me involved so now there is no way I can back out."

"I don't like it." Gon said. "They were choosing who would get to be our friend, basically."

Aala laughed and put her arm around him. "Hey, I'm not that bad. I thought I was doing pretty good." she teased.

Gon smiled. "No, you're not that bad, but I still don't like it."

"I don't think it's right either, but we're stuck with each other now so we'd better make the best of it." Aala said as she gave him a squeeze.

"So you're not leaving then?"

The timid question surprised Aala. She looked at Gon, looking just as surprised as she felt. "Gon, what in the world made you ask that?"

Gon looked sheepish as he answered. "Well, now that you now all of this and the people who got you here have made contact, they might send you home if you asked them."

Aala just chucked and pulled him into a full on hug. "Didn't you hear what I said before?" she asked as she started to pet his head. "One other reason they didn't tell me was so that when they did tell me, I was already so deep in it, there was no way I could back out and it worked. After meeting you all in person, there is no possible way I'm going to willingly leave you." Her voice turned sad as she added, "Especially not with what's coming."

The others looked at her strangely, they got the feeling that she didn't just mean what was supposed to happen. "What do you mean by that?" Kurapika asked.

"They sent me here for a reason and I doubt it was just for fun." Aala bluntly stated. She released Gon from her hold and explained. "I'm evaluating everything that's happened as if I were reading/watching it. All the signs point to that there is some greater danger out there and they need me in here to deal with it. Seeing as I'm friends with you and they purposely made it like that, it can be assumed that your help will be needed and or required in some way, shape, or form."

It was blunt and to the point and Aala still had some left. "This is probably going to be an extremely complicated thing and if you stay with me, you will undoubtedly get pulled in the middle of it. Your lives will be hard enough as it is and I will completely understand if you want nothing to do with it. I won't leave, but just keep everything to myself if you want."

No one said anything for a moment. Then Gon smiled, "Don't you remember what I told you on the other airship? You're our friend and we will help you in anyway we can." Aala just smiled back and nodded as she had been expecting that answer.

XXXXXXXX

While everything was happening on the airship, Killua had already made it back 'home'. He had been in a daze until he felt the whip hitting him.

Now he was hanging there after Milluki had finished beating him for a while. The last thing he remembered clearly was Aala's apology to him when he took her place on the floor. Everything after that was a haze of fear and worry. When his fight with Illumi was finished, Killua felt as if he was completely submerged in water.

He couldn't move his body of his own volition and could only see and hear everything through a blur. One thing that he did seem to recall and he fervently hoped was true was the words Aala had spoken to him.

Killua replayed the words in his head to remind himself that his friends were coming to get him out of this place and that he _had_ friends who cared about him that much. Then he replayed some of them to comfort himself as he did remember what he did to Bodoro.

He could hear Aala telling him _Illumi couldn't be more wrong about you. When he was saying all those things, he wasn't describing you, he was describing_ himself _. He's the puppet of darkness, not you. He's the one with no desire in him. He's the one who only feels pleasure from killing. You shine, Killua, you shine like the moon and the stars. They may not be as bright as the sun and their light constantly overshadowed by the sun's rays, but they are always there, always constant, and they never stop._

 _That's one of the things I love most about you, Killua. You may not be as bright and warm compared to someone like Gon, but you are always there to lend a helping hand to anyone who needs and deserves it. I love you, Killua, I really do. You and Gon are like the younger brothers that I always wanted. Please, if you can hear me, please believe me._

After that Aala would apologize in so many different ways and she'd reassure him that they would come to get him out of this hell hole. Then she went on repeating all she said in a different variation. Killua did remember her words and he did his best to believe them. He could believe that she did love him and that she meant what she said, but it was difficult for him to believe she was right.

Killua raised his head and looked out the small window in his cell. He knew that it would take three days for them to get there, and only Aala would know how long it would take to get him out after that. _Gon, Aala... please hurry._ he thought. He didn't get any farther because Milluki had just come back.

* * *

Well, I got this out with a final word count of 6681, not including the notes before or after. I had planned to have more happen in this last chapter, but I was short on time and I was already a week and a day later than I thought I would be. Hopefully the next chapter will be out in a week.

Oh, and I forgot to put this in last chapter, but the two new OC's names have meanings. I think I made it clear that they mean well in this chapter, so I'll just say them. Luxman(Lux) means loyal and sincere while Minty means collector of thoughts, determined protector.

It actually might be good I left off at that part because it would give am a chance to hear any theories you might have as to _why_ she's there in the first place. Please tell me, I really want to hear them! Would you please be so kind as to leave them, and hopefully a review too, in the box below? It would really help me make sure that I'm going in the right direction. Thanks!

 **Also, IMPORTANT! I PUT A POLL UP ON MY PROFILE, SO PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AND VOTE! IT WILL BE OPPEN FOR A WHILE, BUT PLEASE VOTE ASAP!**

*I love both versions, but prefer Brotherhood purely based on the fact that it's ending was happy, I'm a sucker for those. If you prefer the original, great. Just don't flame me or anything for this, you can flame me, but make it about the story I'm writing. ( If you haven't seen either version of Fullmetal Alchemist, I highly recommend to and decide for yourself. Both are great.)


	10. Why's and Wonderings

Hi, sorry with being so late again, I'm extremely annoyed with myself to be honest. Back to school shopping was a little crazy, then I went back to school. 10th grade, whoopty do. I've now accepted that my updates are going to be whenever I get the next chapter out, probably ranging from a week to maybe three. I'm apologizing in advance.

I really would like to thank everyone who stuck with this story, and if you are one who has yet to leave a review, I would love to hear from you! :)

Replies to Reviews:

The last Nightwalker - I'm happy that the exposition is satisfactory and that the pacing is good. I hope I can keep it up and not force anything down your throat!

MidoriEmerald13 - Yeah, he's going to have some work to do to get in her good books. Wow, nice theory, actually pretty close. When I was thinking about writing this story, something along those lines came to mind, but I couldn't get enough ideas for it, so it was modified to what I currently have. There are people who want to bring disaster and disrupt the timeline, but that is more of a bi product of what their plans really are. I never considered a crazy fan and now that I think about it, it really would be a nice touch. I'm already getting ideas! Aala does have potential, but not so much as capturing or defeating, more like defending.

Isella of the wolf tribe - Hmm, wouldn't even know how to incorporate that idea, but you got evil and greedy right. They did send some people in, but more as an experiment so that's how they know that the Power Juice gives them nen. I plan on having them show up at least once during all the arcs(accept the Zoldyck arc) before they really come full force.

Aww, thanks for the compliments! :') It makes me incredibly happy to read them. Like I said before, the way I'm going to update is whenever I get a chapter done so I hope I can write quick enough!

Nispedana - Aww, thanks for the two reviews! I was happy to see that you'd reviewed, given that I love your own HxH fanfics. Glad to see that you like my writing so far, and looking forward to your next update! :D

Also, one more thing, **I have a poll up on my profile** and I had some difficulty getting it up so that's why it wasn't there the last time you checked after my last update. It'll be up until I get around to finishing the Yorknew city arc, which will probably take a couple of months. It's about whether or not you want the movies included in my fanfic and I need more than one opinion, so please take a couple of minutes to give me yours. Thanks.

Now, chapter 10!

* * *

The group of four were just finishing up dinner when Lux and Minty approached them. Aala tensed slightly when she recognized Lux, but relaxed when she saw the girl with him that could only be his sister. Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika eyed them wearily as they came closer. They would let Aala handle this, as they discussed before, but were still unsure about this whole thing.

Minty was half a step in front of her brother as she introduced herself. "Hello, I'm Minty. It's nice to finally meet you all." Then Minty reached out her hand for Aala to shake.

To everyone's surprise, Aala smiled warmly as she shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you too, Minty. I know we have a lot to talk about, so why don't you pull up a chair?"

This was a much more friendly welcome than anyone expected Aala to give someone who helped get her into this situation. Minty was the first to voice it. "You're much more welcoming than I expected you to be, given how you sent off my brother. May I ask why?"

Aala just chucked and answered as the two pulled up chairs. "Simple and to the point, I think we'll get along just fine. The reason for the warm welcome is because I've been going over everything and come to the conclusion that you mean well. If that is true, then we will be allies, thus the need for good relations."

Minty had a smile on her lips as she asked, "How do you come to the conclusion that we mean well?"

"If you didn't, then you're being extremely stupid." The smile on her face dropped instantly and her warmth turned into biting cold. "I promise you, if you mean to lay so much as a finger on any one I care about, I will use every ounce of my power to bring you down."

Even though she knew that she would incur none of her wrath, Minty couldn't help but shake slightly under the sheer intensity of her words. There was a small noise of approval from the other girl as she got over her momentary fear. _If this is what she gives someone who only gives a vague threat to people she loves, she'll absolutely flip when she hears what_ they _want to do with them._ Out loud, she returned the answer by saying, "We mean well, but could you tell me your reasoning?"

The two girls went back and forth like that for a while, Aala's reasonings and Minty's prodings. When they got that over with, they began to probe the other with questions and answers with double meanings that the four males listening in couldn't even guess at. The females understood each other though, leading them to come to the same conclusion: girls were wired.

Once each was satisfied that the other was a friend, Aala turned to address Lux. "I'm still mad at you." she said bluntly, causing him to flinch. "However, you are an ally now, so there needs to be some degree of trust between us. I'm willing to put my anger aside and forgive you if you can promise me something."

Lux looked up hopefully. "Anything within reason."

Aala looked him straight in the eye and pretended not to notice the seemingly adoring, pleading look she saw there. Now was not the time to dwell on it. "You must promise to always keep me in the loop, and never keep anything from me again."

Even before Aala finished, Lux was nodding. "Agreed." Aala held out her hand to seal the deal. Lux smiled sheepishly. "Does that mean we're friends now?"

She eyed him before saying, "Not yet." He visibility drooped at that. "Maybe in time." Aala had a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she added that. Lux seems like a good person from what she'd seen so far and she was a bit harsh to him before.

Breaking eye contact with Lux, Aala returned her attention to Minty. "So, you have some explaining to do?"

Minty nodded. "The only question left is why, yes?" The four returned the nod and waited for her to continue. "To put it simply, we sent you in here to protect Gon and Killua." She turned serious as she said that and put up a hand to stop the questions before they were spoken.

"I know this is probably far from what you expected, but please let me finish before you ask any questions. My brother and I have discussed how we will explain everything and to be sure you can understand and absorb everything, so we decided to cut the rest of it up in to three parts: background information, how you will protect them from, and how we're going to go about it. Clear?" Everyone nodded that they would not speak until Minty was done.

"Prepare yourselves, this is the longest stretch." She took a deep breath and started her long story. "We are not the only group who has access to this world, in fact, we're not even the first. Our group is really just a split of from the organization that started it all.

"This organization calls itself Project Deep Sea Otter, referred to as 'the Deep' for short, and was formed by rich and powerful people after even more power. The exact specifications were unknown to anyone who wasn't already in on it. It wasn't official, but they have some government officials on their payroll so they could basically do whatever they wanted, so long as the press never got wind of it.

"There were many bases of operation they had, but the main one was owned by the head of the organization named Gideon Roberts in Sacramento, CA. The main goal of this group was the research of supernatural abilities. All of the experiments were performed there and the test subjects lived in or within a 5 minute drive of the place

"They referred to their test subjects as otters, and the members themselves were referred to as divers. The subjects themselves were usually kids divers were able to get a hold of, who then sent them to the main base. They had found a way to detect abilities in children with a special test and were always scouting out the child welfare agencies and orphanages around the world to find them. The test would show what kind of ability they had and it's strength. The ones with the strongest abilities were adopted by the divers.

"The experiments they would put the otters through once they had them... Well let's just say they weren't a walk in the park. Most otters dreaded the tests their parents/guardians would put them through and tried to get out, but they never succeeded. Some even committed suicide just to get out of them, others lost their minds.

"The purpose of the experiments was to create Power Juice, so the divers themselves could have the power. When they got the first batch out, they tested it on some normal kids. About half of them got an ability like they were supposed to, while the others didn't react to the Power Juice so well. The reactions were different from person to person, but the most common were the development of some kind of mental disorder, the loss of a sense, and getting a stroke or heart attack.

"They ran some more tests and found a certain biochemistry was needed for the Power Juice to take. They got out a couple more batches and the kids they tested it on did fine. Despite the success they had with the Power Juice, they wanted more than just the weak powers our world had to offer.

"The powers that would naturally come about in our world are really completely useless in combat. Most of the otters could be called psychic with abilities that would qualify as ESP and communicating with the dead. Even a telekinetic or two, but it wasn't that strong. Those abilities weren't enough for the divers; they wanted a combat ready ability.

"All their experiments to make the Power Juice give them such an ability ended a dismal failure. The poor kids they tested it on were at best refused to the intelligence of a three year old and at worst to vegetables. They found a new way to get what they wanted though, when one of the otters who had the power of visions began to see another world, not our own.

"They got the smartest otters, the ones who just _knew_ things, to work with scientists to make a portal to that other world. The visions centered around a group of kids with abilities more to the divers' likings, but the world wasn't that different from our own. One boy was super strong, another boy was a speeder, a girl with invulnerability, another girl that could fly.

"The otters didn't want to make the portal, they knew what was going to happen to the other kids if they succeeded, but the divers forced them. Poor little Lahela blamed herself for having those visions in the first place. The way she was seeing the four kids make her think of them as friends.

"Once the portal was completed, they found that they could only open the portal around the four kids, and they had to stay around them once they were through. They forced Lahela to tell them when each kid was vulnerable and hunted them down one by one. By the time they were through with the tests on the kids, only the speeder boy and the invulnerable girl made it. Even then, the two were so scared, the didn't even want to go home, preferring to join the otters.

"By that time, with the positive results coming from their latest batch of Power Juice, the divers were drunk on their own power. They began to test to see if they could make portals to other worlds, and they struck metaphorical gold. They found that the worlds of some books, movies, t.v. shows, and anime were actually real. They were ecstatic and began simple experiments in those worlds with Power Juice.

"The otters, though, had had enough by then and wouldn't stand by as they allowed more people to be subjected to the same form of torture they had to go through, especially not the the heroes they had come to know through the only forms of entertainment and comfort they were given. Normally, all communications between the otters, especially the telepaths, were closely and heavily monitored so we couldn't have an organized escape plan and that was the only reason they hadn't escaped before. Now that the divers had a new obsession, they were growing lax and the otters took full advantage of the fact.

"The telepaths made a mind link between all of the otters, so they were always in communication so they could plan their escape and sabotage the lab where they made the Power Juice and where they were building the portal. The otters working on the portal and helping with the new test subjects brought the poor kids into the fold and delayed the results.

"As the divers were making their plans, so were the otters. Every otter contributed something so that when they finally did make their bid for freedom, they would leave in the eye of a perfect storm. The otters also knew that any sabotage they did would only delay the divers so they knew that they had to stick around until they made their final plans so they could counter them.

"When they heard they were going to go after the main characters of Hunter x Hunter, everyone was horrified. All of the otters that had been there for over a year knew of that anime, as they all recommend it to each other. They had already set up ways to steal a batch of Power Juice, the portal, and some essential equipment, along with somewhere to flee to. There was also an established chain of command with an elected council of eight representatives and another one elected to lead the council, bringing the number to nine.

"Once everyone was ready, the otters escaped in a perfect storm the divers never saw coming. Not a single person was lost, that's how well planed everything was and how complacent the divers had become. Once they were settled in their new base, they carried out their plan to stop the divers."

There was silence as everyone had their own reactions to the story. Aala had noticed that Minty stayed unbelievably calm throughout the whole story, her voice only shaking and hesitating at the worst parts. Only now that she was done did she allow her tears to fall as she covered her mouth with her hands and shut her eyes. Lux, on the other hand had put his head down once Minty got to the experiments and had not once brought his head up.

Aala was the one who came to first and broke the silence by saying solemnly, "I take it that you two are otters." They both nodded. "May I ask what your abilities are?"

Lux brought his head up to answer for his sister. "I get premonitions. If I concentrate on an event, I can get a feel of how it will go. That's how we set up your last three tests and your interview. Minty is insightful, to the point that some things she'll know about just by wondering about them. Both of us were born with them."

There was another moment of silence. This was one they knew had to be broken by either Lux or Minty. Aala was solemn as she had already fully absorbed and processed the whole story. Gon's head was spinning and he couldn't understand why an organization like that would exist. Kurapika was sympathizing with the two, the way they reacted to suicide, they probably lost friends to that. Leorio was fuming as he knew the only reason that was allowed to happen was because the divers had money.

Suddenly, Minty took a deep breath and clapped her hands together. "So, any questions?" Slightly startled, Aala motioned for the others to ask any questions they had.

Kurapika was first. "If they want to capture us and experiment on us in order to get some ability, can you tell us what the abilities might be?"

Minty managed a small smile. "In case you hadn't guessed, Hunters have abilities that we don't have. You don't have them either, but you were made into Hunters anyway, which shows that they can be learned. You'll find out the specifics in due time."

Leorio was next. "Where do you get the money to run your side group?"

"Like I said before, some of us were actually adopted by the divers, and they all had to keep up appearances and give us trust funds. The otters that were over 18 had access to theirs and use their pre existing accounts to get to the others. So, we have plenty of money."

Gon was the last one to ask a question, and the one that hesitated the most before asking. "How long have you two been others?"

"Gon." Aala placed a hand on his shoulder. "I think that question is a little too personal."

"It's alright." Minty said. "You would find out anyway, so I'll answer. We were among the first to be found and brought in, 13 years ago. I was one and Lux was two. Our abilities were even strong enough to be adopted." Even to herself the words sounded like she forced them out.

No one had anything to say after that. Eventually, Lux stood up. "Well, that's all we have for today. When we feel ready to tell you the next part, we'll find you tomorrow." With that, the two said goodnight to the other four and left.

Leaving the other four in the same uncomfortable silence. Trying to lift the mood, Gon looked to Aala and smiled. "Well, there actually is a good reason for you being here."

Aala smiled ruefully. "Yeah, a little too good." There was prickling behind her eyes, as there always was when she heard a sad story of that caliber. She didn't cry, though. She had seen dozens of stories similar to that and had been expecting a kind of sad story. Now that she was getting over that now that Lux and Minty left, fury and hatred was starting to bubble up inside her.

She stood up much like Lux had before her, not wanting her bubble to pop then, and said, "Well, none of us really have anything to say, so we might as well get some sleep. We can talk about this tomorrow after everything has had a chance to sink in." Aala smile wearily and looked at Gon with an amused expression. "It certainly has been a long day, especially for you Gon. You've had a lot to take in."

Gon smiled back at her. "Yeah, all of it is really confusing. My head hurts a little."

Chuckling at the comment they all made their ways to their respective rooms and wished the other party goodnight. Aala hugged Gon and kissed the top of his head , then they each climbed into bed and went to sleep.

Or tried to. After a bit, Gon turned so he was facing Aala's back and softly called, "You still awake?" His response was Aala turn to face him and motioning him to continue. "Are you okay?"

She took her time to think about the question. Aala sighed and replied just as softly, "About as okay as I can be."

"Are you still mad at Lux?"

"No, only a little annoyed. There's no way I can blame him for what he did now, but that doesn't mean I have to like how he did it."

"Are you scared?"

"Gon, scared doesn't even begin to cover it. Terrified out of my wits is more like it."

"Why are you scared?"

"I'm scared that I won't be good enough to protect you from those awful people. Right now, they have the advantage of surprise and of numbers. If they had planned on going after you and Killua, they must have planned a way to capture you. The only thing I got going for me is that they won't know anything about me, but I am only one person. From the sound of it, none of the otters are any sort of fighters."

The exchange went on for a while, Gon questioning Aala about her well being, each keeping their tone soft for fear of breaking the gentle feeling of peace and safety the small room provided. Gon's questions had petered out and Aala was drifting off when the final question came. "Would you have come anyway, if they did ask you?"

Aala's half closed eyes opened and locked with Gon's across the dark room. She was amazed that she could still see when it was so dark, but she guessed it had something to do with the Power Juice. His eyes were calm and had a glimmer of sadness to them. When she stayed silent, Gon added, "I wouldn't blame you if you wouldn't. This is all crazy, even for me."

The silence weighed on both of them before Aala sighed. "Do you remember the talk we had when we were walking to the kiriko's house?" A hesitant nod. "Well, what I said about the third choice, if I would be able to make it, it's the same. I will never know for sure if I would have been brave enough to make the discussion to come here, but I hope I would of."

Gon nodded and turned to face the wall. Aala closed her eyes and continued. "I want you to know that even if I didn't make the choice to be the one to protect you, I would have meet you anyway. There's no way I would have been able to _not_ help. The only reasons I would have turned down the job would've been because I wouldn't have thought I was good enough to do the job right. I can't let myself think like that now, so I will promise you this; I'll gladly give my life in order to protect you and Killua, not because I have to, but because I love you both like the brothers I always wanted. I'm not about to let anyone take you from me."

Unknown to Aala, Gon was hiding tears. He remembered the conversation all too well, and the crippling fear of losing anyone close to him that came with it. Now that he knew that he had a giant target painted on his back, he was scared again. He didn't doubt Aala's words, quite the contrary, he wished they were less true. The part about protecting him, at least. Gon returned Aala's feelings and looked to her like an older sister, one he didn't want hurt just because she was protecting him.

* * *

So, that was chapter 10, hope I did alright. Does the organization's name seem right, or is it off or something? I'm willing to rename it if anyone has anything better. I didn't think the otters' story would come out like that, but how was it? Too much, not enough? How was it all in general? Can you _please_ answer my question?

So, that's all for now. Feel free to ask any questions if you were confused on something, especially if it was something that doesn't quite make sense, I want to make everything as clear as possible for every one. I just started school this week, so that will either make me write more, sense I could be in a 'working' mood, or make me goof off more. I'll see how I feel, but I'll try to make it the former.

 **Reminder: I put up a poll on my profile. Please vote.** Also, please leave a review while you're at it. Thanks. :D


	11. Full Explanations and Fufillments

Nothing really to say in this author's note accept, remember **I** **have** **a** **poll** **up** , so, **VOTE**! :D

Replies to Reviews:

Mistress Silver Moon - Thanks for liking my story! Trust me, I'll be doing my best to get this all posted ASAP.

MidoriEmerald13 - When I first planned out the otters' story, it didn't come out that feelsy. I guess that's what comes from writing it all when I really should have been sleeping, but I'm soooo happy it came out like it did. Glad you enjoyed it!

Isella of the wolf tribe - Yay, you liked it! I'll be doing my best to update soon. You were basically right with your theory. I haven't been very clear with her nen ability, and I plan to be vague until the time comes for it to be revealed. There are clues here and there, but never really focused on, just an idea that's there. Have any guesses, maybe you'll be close on that one too. ;)

So, chapter 11! (Wow, have I really come this far?)

* * *

The next morning, they all met for breakfast feeling somewhat refreshed. They sat quietly as they ate, each trying to think of the best way to break the silence. Turned out, none of them had to.

Lux and Minty came then, each offering friendly good mornings and sat to eat with them. "So, how did you process everything? How do you feel about what we told you?"

Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika motioned for Aala to answer for them. She cleared her throat and said, "Well, I can honestly say that any grudge that any of us may have held against you is completely dispelled. After hearing your story, we will be more than willing to go along with any plans that you will propose." Aala looked both of them in the eye, then added, "And I know these words will probably sound hollow, but we're sorry you had to go through all that."

They both nodded and Minty looked out the window. After a moment of silence, she commented, "Either your world is much bigger than ours, or this airship is going really slow."

The others looked at her with blank stares at her random observation. Naturally, Gon was the first to get over it. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"I'm glad you asked." With that, Minty pulled out some papers and Aala could see they were a few copies of the Hunter X Hunter world map and a few of their world map. She looked at them in confusion while her three traveling companions looked at them in bewilderment.

Kurapika took a copy of her world map and looked at it from different angles. "What exactly are we looking at here?" he asked. Gon and Leorio each took a copy and nodded.

Minty smiled and said, "I thought this would make for a good conversation between us while Lux takes Aala and answers any other questions she may have for him. When they get back, we will discuss the next part of what we have to explain to you. Sound good?"

The three nodded a bit confused and Aala got up to go with Lux. They walked over to a window and looked out. "It's a nice view isn't it? From this high up, the water looks almost fake." They were flying over the ocean now, and indeed the water looked fake, like a talented baker would put on top of a cake.

Lux's attempt to break the ice didn't go unnoticed by Aala and she turned to look at him. "The view is lovely and all, but there are some questions that need to be answered." He also turned to look at her and waited for her to get her thoughts together.

"First things first, how do you know that I'll be able to keep up with Gon and Killua, or are you just hoping that I can?"

He took a deep breath and looked out the window again. "Over the various tests with the Power Juice, we have found that the strength of the ability the person develops is equivalent to the strength of the ability of the person that batch of Power Juice was developed from. The batch we injected into you was the batch that was developed from the invulnerable girl we told you about before. We found that the extent of her power was extremely rare in her world, roughly around one in 10 million. Given that, your nen talent will be around one in 10 million, just like both of them, so you'll be able to keep up."

Both were silent a moment. Aala felt bad for making him remember those awful things that happened to him, but she needed the answer. "My other question is how have my family been doing?"

Lux looked confused a bit then repeated her question to himself. Then he face palmed and groaned. This was not a good reaction to Aala and she asked, a bit panicky, "Oh my God, what happened?" Fearing the worst, she held her breath.

Raising his hands, Lux tried to calm her. "Nothing bad happened it's just that I remembered that I forgot to tell you something very important."

She let out a sigh of relief and asked, "Well, what is it?"

"The thing is, well... They don't exactly know you're gone."

This caused Aala to start a little and say, "Excuse me?"

Lux rubbed his face with his hands and asked, "Have you read the 'Adventurers Wanted' series?"*

"Yeeeeaaaah." She replied, not sure where this was headed.

"Well, then you know what happens with the time difference between the known worlds and the unknown ones, right? So that Alex was gone for a couple years and it was like he was only gone from home a couple of hours?" She simply nodded. "Well, it's exactly the same thing."

Aala just stared at him. "Clarify."

Lux was rocking on his heels as he explained, "You went through the portal at 3:34 in the morning, so when we come back, it will be 3:35am on the same day."

"So, in short, my family doesn't know I'm gone, because I've only been gone for about an hour." Lux nodded. Aala felt a huge weight lifted off her shoulders and she sighed with relief. "That's good to know."

"Anything else you want to ask?"

Thinking for a few moments, Aala asked, with some hesitation, almost fearing the answer, "When do you think the divers will finally be brought down? I mean, there are only so many times when they would be able to make an attack on them, especially after they learn nen." She tried to swallow the lump in her throat to get the last part out. "Do you think that this will spill over into our world?"

This brought silence between them for a good five minutes. This was truly not a that far fetched possibility, seeing as the divers main bases were all back in their world and the otters couldn't do anything to interfere with them while in the Hunter X Hunter world. Then, if they left, they would be leaving Gon and Killua vulnerable here, as the divers would know when they would be weakened. Given all that, it would mean that they would have to come to their world, if they couldn't end it here.

With a heavy sigh, Lux stated simply, "I don't know for sure, but more than likely, yes."

"You do realize that if we can't finish them off here, than we'll have to bring all four of them into our world right?"

"Five." Lux corrected. "If we do end up having to bring them into our world, it will most likely be at the end of the election arc. By then, Killua would have gotten Alluka back and we would have to bring her along too."

Aala gasped at the realization. "Oh God, that's right!" She closed her eyes and felt anger build inside her. "And those bastards are going to want her most of all, aren't they?" Lux simply gave a nod and Aala growled out, "Like hell that's going to happen."

Again there was a tense silence between them and after a minute, Lux tried to lighten it by making a joke. "Well, maybe we can trick some of the divers to go after Hisoka or something. They're definitely stupid and crazy enough to try if we planned it right."

That did manage to get a chuckle out of her, but at the mention of Hisoka, her memory sparked and she gasped. "What is it?" Lux asked with a note of concern in his voice.

Aala let out a chuckle until it turned into a right out laugh. "It seems you're not the only one who forgot to mention something rather important." Lux looked confused and Aala dropped a bombshell on him. "When I was telling them about how I wasn't from here, guess who was standing on the other side of the door and heard everything."

Lux paled much like she did. "No... Don't tell me... That psychopath knows?!"

"Yep. Hisoka overheard everything. He knows just as much as I told the others. Before you start worrying, he told me he wouldn't tell Illumi." Aala said with a note of disgust in her voice.

They stood there for a few minutes more, then Lux, asked, a little shakily, "Are those all the questions you have?"

"No, but all the others should be asked where the others can hear them, as it concerns them too."

The two walked back over to the table to find that many of the maps now had lines running across them with vectors labeling them. There was also a couple of maps that were cut up and put back together to resemble the other map. Kurapika looked fascinated with it all, Leorio looking like he didn't really care, and Gon was looking really, really confused.

As Aala sat down, she asked, "How was the talk?"

Gon scratched his head and said, "I don't get it."

Aala looked to Minty and she gave her the short version: this planet they are on must be larger than their own because to fly halfway around their world, usually it would take anywhere between 22 and 24 hours. It was taking them three days to go maybe a quarter of the way around. This airship may be slower than an airplane, but it was still fast enough for people not to have invented something faster. So, no matter how you look at it, it gave you the same conclusion: this world is simply bigger.

Blinking at the facts, Aala realized Minty was right. She'd never thought of that before. Seeing that Aala didn't quite know how to proceed, Minty took charge. "So, are there any other questions that you would want to ask?"

Shaking her head and getting her thoughts in order, Aala said, "The questions I have are regarding what sort of things I will be protecting Gon and Killua from and how much, if any, help I will be receiving from your end."

"When our group left the Deep, we made sure to blow up the labs where they were making the Power Juice, torch all the hard copies of the portal, and destroy all the computers where the information was stored. However, we knew that those actions would only delay the divers as the schematics and formulas had been stored in a separate computer somewhere else.

"It is entirely possible that when they do try to come for you, the people they send could have powers, but we aren't sure as to what those powers will be since we don't know how much of the formula from those four powered kids they got into the other computers. And, yes we will be providing some help with protection.

"You are really just the last line of defense and the strongest one. We do have people with powers and they have been training them for combat since we escaped. I will also tell you that the two powered kids that survived the experiments will be leading the charge." The others blinked at Minty's long explanation but took it in.

"So, how will we be dealing with the attempts to kidnap both of them? I would prefer to actively participate in stopping them instead of waiting for them to get that close." Aala said putting her elbows on the table and resting her chin on top of her hands.

Gon mimicked Aala's pose and leaned forward. "I agree with what Aala is saying. I don't just want to wait for them to come to us, and I know Killua will feel the same way." he added.

This time it was Lux who answered. "We knew from the start that you would want to fight them too, so we took that into consideration. The otters who will help defend you will first set up triggers and alarms that would go off if any divers trigger them, then they would call the ones who would help with defense to track the party and send someone to get you. From there we would construct a plan based on the circumstances."

Everyone nodded and Kurapika brought up a question. "What kind of role will Leorio and I be playing in all this. You said that the divers were after Gon and Killua, but what about us?"

"Well, after you get Killua back, the five of you will be splitting up; Gon, Killua, and Aala off on their own way, Leorio to medical school, and you to follow on your own leads. When you all meet up again, we'll bring you in on this too. They can't follow the two of you because they would have to follow Gon and Killua." Lux explained.

Aala had one last question to ask before she changed the subject. "You said that there are otters with powers, so, what are some of the powers we'll be working with?"

"All sorts." Minty started. "There aren't too many of us with powers from the tests of power juice that came from the powered kids and the normal ones, it was insanely expensive to get one batch of Power Juice out, only enough for 10 injections. There are about 50 of us with powers that will be useful in battle, but only 17 that can be in the middle of it. The others powers have to be used from a distance or off the field all together."

They nodded, then Aala thought that it was enough for today. "So, enough with that, we still have a good portion of the day tomorrow to finalize any plans. I think it's about time that we all got to know one another better." she proclaimed cheerily.

The others looked at her and she simply stated, "It would be better if we were all friends instead of simply being allies, wouldn't you think?" Everyone else nodded in agreement with the statement.

Over the next few hours, they learned quite a bit about all the others. For Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika, there wasn't much about themselves they could share, but there were stories they could tell. Gon of his adventures in the forest around his home, Kurapika about his journeys, and Leorio his experiences.

The four of them learned that since splitting off from the divers, Lux and Minty's group had dubbed themselves Operation Kelp Forest Otters. They still wanted to be known as 'otters' so they could prove to their former captors that they had embraced the title that once branded them human lab rats and had recovered from all the damage they inflicted on them.

Along with that, they learned about life in the new base. There were couples springing up like flowers in the spring and many of the older otters were going out to try to find jobs and make a life for themselves. There was also the little fact that both Lux and Minty were on the counsel because they were among the few who survived the tests for so long and were so level headed.

Aala mainly told of the high points of her life. She told them about her favorite cousin, Matty, who was more like an older sister and how she discovered her love of children by helping her take care of her now three year old daughter, Nicole, and her new baby, Charlotte. She then spent a few minutes defending her cousin by saying she wasn't irresponsible by having a baby so young, when she was ten years older than herself.

She even managed to tell them what she had planned to do with her life before, which was have a career in child care, most likely a preschool teacher. There was an emphasis on _planned_ , as now Aala wasn't quite sure how she would be after all of this, or what she'd want to do.

After each shared about themselves, they simply talked about what came to mind. They spent the entire day just getting to know one another. It was an enjoyable day for all, just some time they could let all of the fears, worries, and responsibilities slip away, of only for that day.

Aala was glad to see that Gon was in a much better mood when he went to bed last night than the last. She herself was in a much better place as she made herself comfortable under the sheets. She looked at Gon across from her, who had already nodded off, and just drank in his calm, peaceful expression. _If only all days could be as good as this..._

XXXXXXXX

It was sunny outside when they woke. Aala could only hope it was a good omen for the day ahead. As she looked out the window in their room, and could see the ground below her. Even though she knew that Killua had probably been through worse than what was happening to him now, she sent out a silent prayer for him to be alright when they finally did get him back.

The group of four met Lux and Minty for breakfast and made light conversation until they were finished. They knew they would land as it was getting dark and each party had preparations to make before they disembarked, so they only had a few hours to go over the details.

They went over some of the ways that they would get in contact with them, mostly just sending someone or they would leave notes in places with signals to catch her attention. They also learned the names of the two powered kids who would be leading the defense team; the speeder boy was named Ryker and the invulnerable girl was named Caden.

To make the notes easier, they worked out some code phrases that would only make sense to them. For example, if the otters would write, 'Vultures are circling' that would signal that the divers are close and to get ready. After that, there was nothing really to talk about, so the parties split up and went to get ready.

Before she left though, Lux pulled her aside one more time. "Here, I want you to have this." he said and shoved the item in her hand.

Aala saw it was a bracelet that looked like it was homemade. It was in three different colors, black, red, and yellow. There was also what looked like a small rounded out white shell set in the middle of it. "What's this for?" she asked.

Lux looked down, like he was embarrassed. "It's so we know where you are. That shell is really a tracker. We thought we would give you something like this so you would have a choice in the matter or not. If you don't want us to track you, you can just give it back."

She examined the bracelet and saw where she could tie it on and tied it on her wrist firmly. She showed it to Lux and said, "Does this answer your question?"

He beamed when he saw the bracelet on her wrist and couldn't help but tell her, "I'm glad you like it. I made it for you myself." Then Lux blushed and had to look away.

This didn't go unnoticed by Aala. She looked from the bracelet to him and back again. She took in his reactions as well and came to the conclusion that he may have feelings for her. There was a moment when a wild sort of happiness spread through her, and hope, before she pushed it to the side. _There will be time to think about it later. There are much more important things on the line right now._

So, Aala just smiled warmly and said, "Thanks. The bracelet seemed well made. I won't take it off so you can always find me."

With that, she left, leaving Lux to smile stupidly after her. What he hadn't said was that he had spent hours making bracelets for her and chose the best one to give to her. He couldn't lie to himself, after meeting her, he was starting to fall.

While Aala was walking away, she had a smaller, but still happy smile on her face as she looked fondly down at the bracelet. _Maybe after all this craziness is over..._ she let herself hope. Lux seemed like a genuinely good person and could be worth a chance. Not know though.

Aala pushed those thoughts to the side and focused her mind on the job ahead. They had to rescue Killua.

* * *

So, all good? Hope that it wasn't too bad and apologies for the measly short chapter. As you can probably tell, I was running low on steam for the last part and I had ideas that didn't translate so well. I burned through too much before, and didn't plan things out as well as I thought. I'm going to try not to make that mistake again.

Just so you know, I'm probably going to knock out the whole Zoldyck arc with the next two chapters. I have some good ideas for that, so hope those chapters will be better than this one. I'll admit, not my best. I don't have school today(Monday) and I'm in a great writing mood, so should be able to make decent progress.

I'll also be taking any requests for powers to put in and any code phrases if anyone has any.

One more thing, **the** **poll** **I** **have** **up** only has three votes. And I can see that this story has 29 followers, so could you guys just take a couple minutes to **vote**? It's not that hard. And thanks for the three who did vote. And always, please leave a review down below.

It's a little past midnight right now, so I'm going to get some sleep, then I'll be working on the next chapter when I wake up. Until next time! It'll be better, pinky promise! ;)

*Great series, give it a read


	12. Gates and Guards

HURAY! I was able to get this chapter out in under a week! First time since July I was able to do so! Well, seems like my last chapter wasn't as bad as I thought! Yay! This is a chapter that I didn't think I'd look forward to writing that much, but I'm really excited! Inspiration struck when I was watching episode 22, probably the reason I was able to get the chapter out so fast! I hope I can pull it off.

Another thing, a reminder: **There is a poll up on my profile. Please vote.** I know it may seem annoying to continually have the same reminder up, but I do want all your opinions. This poll will be up until the Yorknew City arc is almost done, so you have plenty of time to think about your vote. Still going to put the reminder up.

Replies to Reviews:

Isella of the wolf tribe - I'm glad the last chapter didn't suck! So happy you like what I'm doing, must be doing it right! Killua will more than likely show up in the next chapter, so not too far off! :) And, by the way, when I saw your guess for Aala's ability, a laughed. It was spot on! Your guess is what it is in a nutshell, but of course, there are some limitations I placed on it. The limitations are rather specific, so it would be rather hard to guess those. And I made the idea for specifications almost as a joke or a wild fantasy, then I realized it was good and decided to use it. I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

SilverDewDrop - Thanks for complimenting my story! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. :') I know the main concern I had with writing this story was things coming out half baked, or the logic shaky. So, to try to avoid that, I try to pick holes in my own story, so everything is as well thought out as it could be. I really do appreciate the review, not everyone can find things to say for every chapter. I'll gladly be your friend. :)

MidoriEmerald13 - And I'm looking forward to getting to write him again! He ties with Gon as my favorite character. :D

So, now, chapter 12! And so soon too!

* * *

Aala made her way back to the other three, mind now firmly set on the rescue ahead. Now she wished she payed a little more attention to the Zoldyck arc, there were some parts that she skipped over entirely. She new the guard that would be on duty would be Zebro and the other one was... Seaquant, right? Well, it started with an 's', she was sure of that much.

If the others noticed her new accessory, they didn't say anything. They all simply readied themselves in any way they could. They asked the occasional question to Aala, trying to get specifics out of her, but all of her answers were vague and virtually useless.

They would need to take a train to the city near the base of Kukuroo mountain, and they would need to ride it over night, so they bought their tickets before they left the airport. Lux and Minty came by and said they would find them on the train back to they could explain all this to Killua, then left with the promise to be watching.

The train ride wasn't really much, just sitting in a seat for hours. Of course there was the light hearted conversations for the first half, but then they did have to try to sleep. Try being the operative word for Aala.

No matter how she tried, sleep eluded her, even long after even Gon managed to track it down. All she could do was look out the window and watch the scenery fly by. Then her attention snapped to Gon, who had unconsciously started to rest his head on her shoulder. Aala smiled fondly as he murmured unintelligible words in his sleep.

Aala gently reached around and wrapped an arm around the sleeping boy. And as Aala started looking at said boy, she realized that was all he really was. Gon, despite all of the power he would gain and horrible experiences he would go through, was really just a sweet, innocent boy at the center. That, was one thing that she prayed would never change.

As Aala sat there, arm wrapped around Gon, she couldn't resist the urge to wipe some nonexistent dirt off of his face. At the feel of her touch, Gon snuggled a little closer to Aala, causing the older girl to smile broadly. Gon's face was just as innocent as when he was awake and suddenly, an unwanted thought popped into Aala's head.

Those diver basterds wanted their hands on Gon, just for more power. They would probably try to take over the world, of they did get that power, Aala thought bitterly. Then, another even more unwanted thought came up. All of the doubts that Aala ever had about herself came crashing down on her. They swirled around her head and whispered every doubt she ever heard to her.

 _Do you really think you're good enough for this? You always lag behind in P.E., always the one that no one wants. They will think you are pathetic once they get to know you more, if they don't already. All of them are heroes, and who are you? Just some wannabe who had a bit of luck in not annoying them when they met you. What right do you have being with them anyway? There probably is someone better out there and the only reason you're here is because you were the best they could do. If they knew what you really had going on in your mind, they would cast you aside, all of them. If the otters knew what sick and twisted ideas ran through your head, late at night, you wouldn't have gotten past the first round. I bet even Killua wouldn't want anything to do with you if you told them-_

Aala cut them off right there. She didn't want to listen anymore, they weren't true, they just were not true. She got rid of those horrible thoughts and sick fantasies when she realized just how wrong they were, over five years ago. The only time she had been able to put those thoughts into words was just under a year ago, when she confessed to the two people she trusted most in the world, Matty and her little sister, Ruby. Heck, they looked at her a little strangely after.

Gon shifted slightly next to her, getting slightly closer as if he sensed her doubts. Aala could only smile. She was well aware of that darker part of herself, where those twisted ideas came from. It was that side of herself she had tied up, locked in a box, than chained that box closed, and buried in the deepest reaches of her mind, under much friendlier things.

But even her ten year old self knew it would be a formula for disaster if she just let that part of herself build until it exploded. She knew she had to face it, so with the help of her many heroes at the time, she was able to slowly unbury the box and let it sit there for a while. When she was comfortable, she unchained the box, giving the other self inside some more room.

She thought that would be enough, just letting the locked box sit there. But when she was 12, she realized that wasn't any better, when she almost let her other self explode out of the box. By this time, Aala was completely terrified of the other self in the box and she didn't know what things would happen if it came out the wrong way. She could feel dark urges and thoughts coming from it.

Aala knew that the thing she had in the box was her dark half and that there was no way it would ever go away. If she never confronted it, then, well... She didn't quite know what would happen, but it wouldn't be good, especially for her. From what she was able to learn from her books and t.v shows, 'dark' didn't necessarily translate to 'evil' and that gave her the courage to finally open the box and look inside.

It was exactly how she remembered it to be, no better, no worse. Aala could remember the feeling of that other side of her almost smiling back at her, knowing that it would be let out, one way or another, eventually. When Aala couldn't take anymore, she would close the box, but not lock it anymore. If the other part of her wanted to come out, it did. If it ever started to get to be too much, Aala would just put it back in the box.

The dark part of her started to come out more and more, but Aala was ready for that. Whether she liked it or not, that darkness was embedded in her now. If not controlled properly, Aala knew, it would lead her to disaster. She was to the point now where that other part of her was always out now, the box almost entirely forgotten. There were even a few times where it came out and 'talked' to her, gave her ideas, especially since she got here. Yet, she still couldn't look it in the eye and accept it.

Aala turned her head up and looked at her little group. As her eyes passed over all of them, she couldn't help but feel they all most likely had a dark part of themselves tucked away, too. She looked at all of the other passengers on the train and thought the same of them. She mused that it was probably human nature to have that darkness lurking somewhere in your mind. It was only a matter of confronting it and taming it.

She smiled then, now that she was successfully able to ward off those doubts and comfort herself on the existence of her darker one again. Gon gave a small yawn from where he rested on Aala's shoulder, and she yawned in response. She could feel her eyelids slipping down as sleep finally decided to show itself. She mused that it probably wanted her to go over her morals again before she fell into its welcoming embrace.

XXXXXXXX

For once, Aala woke up on her own, not needing to be shaken awake. It was the sun glaring in her eyes that did it. It was only an hour until they reached their destination, so she roused the others. Kukuroo mountain came into view soon after and they talked amongst themselves.

When they arrived, Aala could see the town was pleasant enough, especially living in the shadow of a whole family of assassins. They found and bought tickets for the tour easily. She looked around and spotted the two who were going to be Mike food. She scoffed under her breath, it was their own fault anyway. As far as she was concerned, they were already dead.

The four found their seats near the front. Aala took one by the window as the bus started up and only listened to a few words from the greeting of the tour guide before she tuned her out. She found herself dozing on her arm all the way up to the mountain with the surrounding noises floating around her mind, but none truly registering.

Aala jerked awake as the bus pulled to a stop in front of the Testing Gate. She covered her yawn with one hand and exited the bus with the others. When she got out, she couldn't help but let out a whistle at the sight of the monstrous construction in front of her. It was a sight to behold.

The tour guide was saying how the gates were called the gates to hades for no one ever came out alive and they couldn't proceed any farther as all the grounds beyond the wall were private property. Gon started asking the guide how to get access to the other side of the gates and she took the tone of someone explaining something very simple to a small child. Aala didn't care for her tone.

The two bounty hunters came forward then and pompously declared that the Zoldycks were nothing but one big bluff. They were the ones who would call the bluff and cash in on the bounty on their heads. Aala just rolled her eyes. It wasn't a loss if those two got themselves killed, two less idiots in the world.

They made their way over to the guard house and ripped the door from its hinges and roughly dragged Zebro out. When they started to grill him about letting them through, Aala was fed up. Before she even knew what she was doing, she stormed over and roughly pushed the man holding Zebro off the ground, causing him to drop him, and said irritatedly, "Lay off the poor guy, will you. He's only doing his job."

The two armed men stared in shock at the girl who had so boldly stepped in front of them. Then the other one said, "Who cares? We just need him to give us the key and we'll be on our way."

Aala glared at them and simply stated, "If the Zoldycks were really all talk like you claim, don't you think any of your predecessors would have succeeded by now? If either of you have a brain in those heads of yours, you'd get back on the bus and forget about going after the Zoldycks."

Then the first man spat, "You'll be eating those words, little girl, when we come out with all the Zoldyck heads on a plate."

She was about to say something else to them, but Zebro stopped her. "You won't convince them, Miss. They're dead set to go in, so might as well give them what they want to get it over with." he sighed and pulled out the key from his pocket.

Before the two men could rudely snatch the key from Zebro, Aala took it and held it by her fingers, dangling it in front of them. "Hey, nimrods, you do realize that you won't last 10 seconds as soon as you step through that door, right?" she said with contempt in her voice.

The men just glared angrily at her and snatched the key from her. Aala couldn't resist shouting at them, "Good riddance, two less idiots in the world!" One man just gave her the finger as he closed the door behind him.

"This is no good. Mike will get fat eating between meals like this." Zebro said sadly beside her.

Aala wanted to play the part, so she asked, "Who's Mike?" As if on que, the two men started screaming before they were cut off. The regular tourists were looking at the door in horror, while Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika were looking in surprise. Aala seemed almost bored with the recent developments; this was one of the parts she would skip over. Then the door opened again and a large arm dumped the skeletons of the two intruders outside before returning. "Oh. Mike." Aala said calmly.

As soon as she was done speaking, everyone else, save for her friends, started screaming and scrambling for the bus. The tour guide waved the stupid little flag and tried to get them on the bus. Gon simply replied cheerfully, "It's alright. We're staying." The tour guide stared at him a moment before retreating back into the bus and high tailing it out of there.

While they were running away, Aala had made her way over to the skeleton pile and was kneeling beside it. She picked up a skull and inspected it. In both, there was a large hole in the side where the brain was assumedly pulled out. With morbid fascination, Aala put her fingers through the hole and wiped the sides of the skull. When her fingers came out clean, she hummed and thought that the skeletons would make for good Halloween decorations.

Someone cleared their throat behind her and Zebro said, a little uncertainty, "Excuse me, Miss..."

Aala looked up and realized that everyone was staring at her. She tossed the skull back into the pile and told Zebro, "I can help clean up, sir." Before he could say anything, Aala had already gotten up and walked into the guard house and got the green garbage can where she had seen the bones sticking out before. As she placed the can on the ground beside the pile, Aala heard shifting from inside. She discovered three skeletons were already in the can when she took of the lid.

Then, as if it were a completely normal, Aala kneeled down and started putting bones into the trash can. They continued to stare, dumbfounded, at her before Zebro came and kneeled beside her and helped. After a moment, Gon came over and helped too. When all the bones were cleaned up, Aala took the now full trash can and put it back where she found it.

Zebro invited them into the guard house and served them some tea. They made the proper introductions and Zebro said, "I would like to thank you, Aala. No one has ever tried to help me as you did. Everyone else just stood by."

Aala just looked over her cup and replied, "There's no need to thank me. I just did what I felt was right. You really were just doing your job."

"You still have my thanks." Zebro eyed her and added, "You surprised me, though, at your reaction to the skeletons. Again, you are the first to react like that."

She shrugged. "I was curious. Mike did an amazing job, especially considering how fast he did it; the only blood was on the clothes and he only left the bones. Besides, I meant what I said and that would also be two less people in the world that want Killua dead."

Zebro started at the mention of Killua. "You know Master Killua?" he asked like he had misheard her.

"Yep." Gon answered cheerily. "We're his friends from the Hunter exam." From there, things progressed just like they did before, with a slight difference. It deviated from the newer anime's storyline a bit after Zebro explained the Testing Gate and opened it.

Zebro and Kurapika were talking about how it was impossible to get through the gate when Gon made a suggestion. "Why don't we call ahead and tell them we're here? Killua will open the gate from the inside, I know it."

Everyone looked at Gon in surprise, even Aala. Then she smiled, seeing where this was heading. Zebro tried to explain why he couldn't do that but Gon wasn't hearing it. He sat down right in front of the gate and said, "Until you make the call, I won't move from this spot!"

Leorio and Kurapika looked at each other while Aala threw back her head and laughed. Zebro tried to tell him that doing that wouldn't make any difference, but he stopped when they moved to sit with Gon. Aala sat directly behind Gon while Kurapika sat on their right and Leorio on their left. Zebro sighed and told them, "That still won't change anything, but you should know that there are some wild animals that come out after the sun sets." Then he went back to the guard house.

So, the four sat there for a bit, then Kurapika asked Aala, "I saw you were a little surprised when Gon suggested we call ahead, why is that?"

"It's because I wasn't expecting this version of events. This is from the older version, while the whole day before this was the newer version." The others looked at her blankly and she remembered that she didn't tell them about the two different versions of the anime and how she noticed details from the two versions blended together. Aala explained this to them and they looked thoughtful.

"Could you tell us some things you've noticed?" Gon asked curiously.

"Of course I can. We have some time to kill while we wait here." Aala started at the beginning, with the differences in how they met and how their characters were introduced. She had just gotten to when they got to the exam sight when the wolf like beasts came. "I'll finish this later." Leorio and Kurapika nodded and stood to fight the wolves.

Gon and Aala stayed seated, both knew there was nothing really to fear. They watched Leorio and Kurapika fend off most of the wolves, but two got through their guard and charged at the two still seated. Gon did nothing while Aala merely stood. She took the wolf that came first and kneed it in the chest before holding its mouth shut and saying sternly, "Now there's need to make such a fuss."

She then removed her hands from its muzzle and started scratching behind its ears. Amazingly, the wolf let her and even rolled on its back so she could rub its belly. Now that the wolf rolled over, Aala could see it was a she so she started saying, "That's a good girl." and other things to the she wolf. Gon was having similar success with his.

Zebro came out then, and finally gave in. "If I don't call ahead like you asked, I'm sure you'll find another way in."

They followed him into the guard house while he dialed the number to make the call. Things would proceed very much the same way no matter the version, Aala knew, but had her hands covering her ears when Gon made the second call. Fortunately, for Leorio and Kurapika, there was an extra try from the older version, giving them a chance to cover their own ears before Gon yelled into the receiver.

When Gon put down the phone and marched out of the door, Aala followed Leorio and Kurapika out. They tried to convince him to come down as he was climbing up the wall. Kurapika turned to her and asked, "Aren't you going to say something? Mike will kill him if he thinks he's an intruder."

Aala looked at him and said, "I am well aware of that. But I'm even more aware that as soon as Gon's mind locks in on something, it would take more than words to get him off it." Kurapika looked concerned and she added, "Don't worry. Zebro will get him down."

And he did. It was the same way for both versions, Zebro simply stating that if they died, he would die with them. Again he offered to open the Testing Gate so they could meet Mike face to face and they took it.

Mike was purplish brown, like in the newer version. Everyone else was scared of Mike, while Aala felt sad. Zebro explained Mike to Gon then asked Aala, "What do you think of Mike?"

She just shook her head. "I have a dog of my own back home. I picked him out of the litter and raised and trained him myself. He's quite sweet. I just think it's a waste to turn a dog into a living machine."

Zebro only nodded and offered for them to stay at their quarters for the night. They agreed and let Mike wander off. It seemed that it was the older version again. Zebro had them open the door and Leorio had to do it when Gon couldn't, that was because the door weighed 440 pounds each. When they got in and took of their shoes, Aala was the only one who didn't trip over the 44 pound slippers. Then it was the same thing with the 44 pound cups.

Seaquant was there by the fireplace as well and had the conversation with them that made them each want to open the testing gates by themselves to prove they were worthy of being Hunters. Aala was both happy and worried at that. Happy because that meant that he friends would get stronger and worried that she would slow them down. How was she going to manage opening two 2 ton doors? Then she mentally slapped herself. _Think positive_ she told herself.

Soon enough, all four were fitted with their vest weights and Aala kept telling herself _You can take it, you have to. It's for Gon and Killua_ to keep from falling over. Zebro told them to clean the whole house before they went to bed after showing them their rooms. The three boys were sharing one, while Aala had one to herself.

He then handed them 55 pound brooms and a 66 pound bucket to clean with. Aala sighed and picked up the bucket. "I'll get started on the bathrooms then I'll come and help you guys out, okay?"

None of them had any complaints, so she started lugging the ridiculously heavy bucket to the nearest bathroom. She filled it with a small amount of hot water and added soap before the got a sponge ready to clean the shower tiles, counters, and sink. There was a (weighted, of course) toilet brush on the side of the toilet that she used to clean it.

Probably about 45 minutes later, she was surveying her work and nodded. The other full bathroom took her the same amount of time, but the last bathroom was a half bath, so it only took her half an hour.

So, two hours later, she came and helped the others finish off the kitchen by washing the dishes. Another half hour later, they were all headed to bed. Aala bid them a tired goodnight and closed the door to her room. She gratefully took off the vest and pulled the blanket over her in bed.

As she was starting to fall asleep, she thought of how she had 19 more days like this before the others would be strong enough to open the gate. _There's no way in_ hell _I'm going to hold them back. I'll train as hard as I can to make sure that doesn't happen._ With her new resolution in mind, Aala drifted off to sleep.

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So, what did you think? I would _love_ for some new people to answer my question and leave me their thoughts. Are there any questions, concerns, suggestions? Some new faces please tell me.

I don't know how the first part on the train will sound to some people, but I like it. That scene came from the same place the otter's story did. I was up late and was suddenly possessed to write all that. I've noticed that people actually comment on the moments that I write when I'm possessed, so I hardly changed any of it when editing.

And, another reminder: **I have a poll up. Vote.** It's about whether or not I should add the Hunter X Hunter movies to my fanfic. So far, there are only five votes and the 'Yes, both of them' option is leading. If you don't want that, just want one of them, or do want that, just take a couple of minutes to go to my profile and vote. I need more opinions so I can start making some concrete plans. Thanks! :D


	13. Determinations and Drops

Next, chapter! I hope this will be good. I got this idea while watching episode 23 of the newer version and I hope you like it! Killua will be in this chapter near the end, so yay! Also, THANK YOU FOR ALL THE REVIEWS! FINALLY GOT OVER 50! MOST REVIEWS FOR A SINGLE CHAPTER! :D

Just so you guys know, the result of the **poll I have up** is still the same as last week, so if you don't like that, **vote!**

Replies to Reviews:

MidoriEmerald13 - Her dark side is exactly that, the dark side of her. The best I can explain it is like on t.v when they have something like an angel and a devil on a character's shoulders. Her dark side is the devil, and the her she is now is, well, not the angle exactly, but better than the alternative. Sorry if that just confuses you more, should help when I give it some more attention.

SilverDewDrop - Thanks for saying it was amazing! :) I try. Thanks for voting!

Alice aquabid - I'll try to make everything more clear. And for now, not much romance, but later. And…..Not quite sure what to do with that last comment... O_O

Isella of the wolf tribe - So the chapter came of as relaxing? I guess looking back it is. Well, Killua should be coming back in the next chapter, so I hope you enjoy this one!

Alexus. Uzumaki - You're welcome for saving you, glad I did. You'll see how much she grows in strength.

Whiskeringst - No problem, we all get busy and I'm glad you were able to review! I'll be looking forward to other reviews. :) I wouldn't worry about ship names, but they are a thing. It will probably just be here and there for a while before it gets any real attention.

Crissybahra - Thanks for liking my story! I know I can get some words mixed up like the ones you said(For some reason, I add an 'e' to the end of 'door' quite often.), but I make lots of others, those are just the ones that I either don't catch, or the spell check skips. I'll do my best to get the chapters posted as quickly as I can! To answer your question, I would really like to have a way to skip over that beating from Canary, but how would Aala even be able to ask to get into contact with that other butler? To even ask to talk to that specific butler would imply that she knows a lot about the Zoldyck household, which would cause alot more problems than they would be able to handle. Even if she did get into contact with that other butler, what's to say she wouldn't turn her in? You said yourself that she is very loyal, and if you would look at it from her point of view, it would look way too suspicious. A girl and her friends claiming to be friends with Killua, asking her to get a message to him that they are there, so that he could leave with them. And her having actually singled her out to ask. I would really like to do that, but sadly, it isn't feasible, so Gon must prove his loyalty be getting beaten. Thanks for the suggestion though!

Violet tsubaki - I'm glad you like my story! It's okay if you can't vote. If you can't, you can't. Thanks for leaving a review!

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Now, chapter 13!

Aala was woken by the sounds of stirring coming from the house. She would have gladly just ignored the sounds that had only faintly roused her and sink back into the comfortable depths of sleep, but she knew that she needed to get on with her training. So she dragged herself out of bed and slapped herself to wake up fully. The stinging feeling in her cheek did the trick. But she rubbed the spot she was sure was turning red as she got dressed and thought that cold water would have done the trick too. And less painfully.

When she had taken care of herself, Aala made her way downstairs and saw that Zebro and Seaquant were the ones up and were making breakfast. "Good morning." she called from the doorway. As the two turned to her, she asked, "Is there anything I can do to help with breakfast?"

Zebro was just starting to make some eggs and Seaquant was squeezing some orange juice. There was another bowl on the counter with a whisk in it and a bag of pancake mix next to it. The two looked at each other and Zebro told her, "You could get started on making the pancakes, Aala."

She nodded and went over to the unattended bowl. There was some measuring cups behind the pancake mix and Aala used those to measure out the proper amount for the number of people. The directions on the bag said to use water, but Aala knew that milk along with some eggs would make the pancakes taste better. Butter would also be needed to make sure they didn't stick to the pan while cooking. She went over to the refrigerator and asked, "May I?" To Zebro and he nodded.

Aala took out what she needed and also saw that they had some blueberries and strawberries. Glancing around, she saw some bananas on a fruit bowl. She got an idea and gathered the extra fruits to add to the pancakes. She got the cutting board from where they told her it was and a knife. Now that she was awake and moving around, her sore muscles from the day before was catching up to her. She washed the berries in the sink and then used the of course weighted knife to cut the tops off the strawberries.

Her arms were screaming in protest at picking up the impossibly heavy object and using it, but Aala focused on the task at hand. Soon enough all the strawberries needed were ready to be cut and she transferred everything back to the cutting board. The blueberries were small enough to just drop in, so she let them be. The strawberries needed to be cut up into eighths; cut into quarters lengthwise, then in half with wise. The bananas were similar.

All the while, Aala could have been whimpering in pain every time she had to raise the knife and needed to switch hands several times. But Aala always was one to suffer silently, so the only indication of her pain was the slight shaking in her arms as she worked. There were three piles of fruits in front of her after a bit; one of the uncut blueberries and two piles of cube like pieces.

Aala nodded in satisfaction, then moved to make the actual batter. She added the milk slowly and mixed in between so there wouldn't be a huge puff of dust later. There was enough batter to mix that Aala needed to have one hand tipping the bowl to be sure that no mix was left stuck to the sides while she used the whisk. She found herself glaring at the bowl and whisk, as if it were their fault they were so freaking heavy. _How can_ anything _be dense enough to weigh so much while still being reasonably small?_

When the batter was mixed to her satisfaction, Aala added in the other things and mixed them well. She used the fourth cup to measure out some batter on the hot, buttered pan. Then, while she waited for the pancake to cook sufficiently to be flipped, she grabbed a plate to put the pancakes on.

Seaquant noticed how Aala's forearms were shaking while she was working and suggested to her, "You shouldn't use just your forearm when you cut or flip anything." Aala looked to him, surprised. "You should imagine your whole arm being used."

Aala looked to the pancake, ready now, and tried what he said. It was easier doing it the way he said it. "Thanks." she said. Things went smoothly from there. Seaquant had finished with the juice and was setting the table and Zebro was cooking some sausage to go with the eggs when the other three came down.

Looking up from the batter she just finished pouring on to the freshly buttered pan, Aala greeted cheerily, "Morning, sleepyheads." They all returned her greeting and went to help Seaquant set the table and Zebro to get the food out. Aala still had a few pancakes left to make. When they were all cooked, she smiled proudly at the tall stack of the mostly golden brown pancakes, with little spots of color coming through.

As soon as Aala carried out the pancakes, they began to eat. Zebro informed them on what kind of training she, Leorio, and Kurapika would be put through. It would start with an attempt to open the testing gates every morning, then go on to do various other exercises for strength. As Zebro began to describe them, Aala groaned mentally. She chose to focus on Gon's protests on why he couldn't join in too, while the others were telling him it was because of his broken arm. Aala was mostly silent and only gave her input here and there.

When they were finished eating, Aala volunteered to wash the dishes, but Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika insisted that they do them considering that she helped make the food. It didn't take much convincing for her to give in and rest. Well, as much rest she could get wearing that damned vest.

The rest of the day passed in a hazed blur for Aala with the only distinguishable parts being lunch and dinner. She gave everything she had in every exercise, pushing herself to the verge of collapse. Imagining the strength of others like she had done before helped some, but the training was still as difficult for her as the others. It would give her strength a boost, but she still had to use that strength herself.

While the others were eying her, trying in vain to make sure she didn't over do it, the only thing on her mind was not being a burden on the others. The way she saw it, she was only just able to keep up with Kurapika and Leorio in training, despite the fact that she was the one performing best out of the three.

Along with the training, the four also had to do some house work. Aala didn't know it, but again, she was the one performing best. Her friends would try to tell her to take it down a notch, or she may hurt herself. She would only shake her head and continue, not even taking their words into consideration, thinking that they were out of sympathy, not genuine concern.

The only relief she allowed herself was when they finally went to bed, around 10pm. Aala didn't make an effort to take off the damned vest as she staggered to the soft, welcoming bed. It might not be too good for her to sleep with the vest on, or else Zebro wouldn't have told them to take it off while sleeping. _What doesn't kill me..._ She was just about to drift off when she heard something outside her window. Thinking she knew what it was, she reluctantly peeled herself off the o so comfortable bed and looked outside.

Looking out the window, Aala could see she was right about the cause of the noise. "Gon?" The named person froze from where he was trying to sneak by her room. He had hoped she would've already dropped off like the others. Gon turned to look sheepishly at Aala.

Aala just stared back at him before saying, "I have half a mind to send you back to your room." She paused to see Gon's reaction which was to shift nervously from foot to foot. "But the other part of me knows you'll just go out to do your own training after I fall asleep." she sighed. "I'll make you a deal, you promise to come back by midnight and I'll let you sneak out until that arm of yours heals. Deal?"

Gon took the offered hand and shook it gratefully. "Thank you, Aala. I just want to train just like the rest of you."

She just rolled her eyes and muttered, "Yeah, yeah." Then he took off, no longer trying to sneak. Aala stared after him and shook her head. She could see it now; Gon was going to be quite the handful and give her countless headaches and heart attacks. Glancing at the clock, she saw she had a little under two hours before Gon was supposed to be back and decided to make use of the time.

Walking to the kitchen, Aala located a couple of chairs that wouldn't be missed and half dragged, half carried back to her room. She then went back to get six cups. The cups she used in threes like dumbbells and weights and a chair like a barbell. The other chair she used to actually sit in. Her whole body was shaking violently as she went through all of the exercises she could in the room. Most of them were from what she remembered on her most hated days in P.E. and things her dad showed her how to do, along with ones she just thought were good for her.

She was taking one of her few resting periods when Gon did come back, a couple of minutes before midnight. Gon looked surprised to see Aala still up. "Shouldn't you be sleeping?" he questioned.

"I had to stay up until you came back to make sure you came back on time." Gon looked like he was going to protest, but Aala beat him to it. "It's not that I don't trust you, it's just that time can get away from you out there and you could come back later than you meant to. If you did miss your curfew, I would just go and get you."

They both bid each other goodnight and went into their own rooms, but she didn't notice the concerned second glance over the shoulder before Gon went in. Aala had managed to get enough will power after seeing her reason for putting herself through such torturous training and was about to take off the vest when she remembered the water. Groaning, she went and got a bucket of water. She placed it by her bed, then finally took off all her weights and collapsed on the bed. She was asleep right after she got the blanket over her.

XXXXXXXX

The next morning, Aala was awoken by cold water being splashed on her face. She sat up and gasped, looking and seeing that it was her own hand that had splashed her. Pausing, she heard Zebro and Seaquant up in the kitchen.

Aala glared at her offending arm; this was the reverse of what usually happens. She knew that it could take her a while to wake up, so she would set up to five separate alarms to wake her up, and yet, she would only ever hear the last one going off. From what she could surmise, her subconscious would turn off the alarm before she could wake up enough to remember it. This time, it woke her up.

Before she could even get out of bed, the almighty, throbbing, pounding, _burning_ **ache** of her body caused her to give a low moan of pure agony and fall back. For a couple of minutes, that was all she could think about, to be able to process. After a few deep breaths, she was able to focus on the parts that hurt most and massage them slowly to somewhat relieve the pain.

While she was working on her screeching muscles, Aala had time to think. _This is the third day that we are here. 18 more days including today. Gon's arm was able to heal 10 days after it was originally broken, so if I'm doing the math right, he only has six more days with the cast._ She let out a sharp yelp as she found a particularly painful spot on her hip. Aala gritted her teeth and growled deep in the back of her throat. _I can't be this_ weak _every morning! I just have to work harder and my body will get used to it._

A most unhelpful, and possibly unhealthy, thought ran through Aala's mind _I bet the others aren't as sore as this._ It was true, but only because the others didn't drive themselves so close to collapse.

When the pain reduced to manageable levels, Aala hauled herself out of bed and got ready for the day. She did some stretches to lessen the pain a little more, then left to go help with breakfast again. Seaquant saw that she was moving considerably slower than the day before, so he had her take the job of making the orange juice.

It wasn't particularly difficult, when to came to weights. There was a pitcher where the juice would collect in and a thing to juice the oranges on. All Aala had to do was cut the oranges in half, then put the juicer thing in the sink. When she was done, Zebro said she could just wait for the others to come down, he could see Aala's condition as well.

Only the most unobservant person in the world wouldn't be able to see the exhaustion written all over Aala's face and body language. She had her head down on the table and was looking out the window. Gon took the seat next to her and put his hand on her shoulder as a silent question.

Aala looked up at him and gave a reassuring smile. Everything was alright, she was fine. Then she put her head down. Gon wasn't entirely convinced, but he let it go. Aala was silent again throughout breakfast that day and kept on receiving glances from the others. She helped Kurapika with the dishes by putting them away, then they were off to their training.

Her effort was the same as the day before, and as soon as she got into it, the pain all but disappeared. Aala took that as a good sign and pushed herself to do even more. Leorio and Kurapika couldn't spare any attention for Aala, but the two observers, Gon and Zebro did.

They broke for lunch and seeing how Aala's body was still shaking even though she was fully seated, Zebro did something. "You're working especially hard, Aala. Maybe you should sit the next part out." He offered because while Leorio and Kurapika were pacing themselves, Aala wasn't. It was an extremely bad move, like intending to run a marathon going full tilt. If she didn't slow down, she was going to hit the wall.

She just shook her head. "I can't do that. I have to train with the others." Everyone else looked at each other, but decided to let it go for now. She'd probably just get so sore that she couldn't get out of bed, then that would teach her to slow down.

Unfortunately, while that would've happened to any other person, Aala had locked in on her goal. She could be a lot like Gon in that respect, she had an idea firmly set in her head, and she wasn't going to let go of it. This happened at home at times too. Aala would have an objective in mind, but not have enough time to achieve it. The only reason her family was able to convince her to put it off was because there wasn't anything on the line. Now, everything was on the line.

No one was able to persuade her to take a break, or even lighten up just a little. All Aala would do was refuse the offer and assure them that she was fine. Every morning the all consuming ache would get more and more painful. It would take her longer and longer to get it to where she could go out and and function. Most would take the hint and tone it down, but Aala was just frustrated with herself. She needed to get stronger, for Gon and Killua, so she could protect them. And maybe make their lives a little easier.

With Aala constantly pushing herself to the brink everyday, something had to give, and it was on their fifth day there that it did. This was the day that Aala could feel the door budge slightly as she pushed, but wouldn't go any farther. The others had tried to congratulate her and try to make it an excuse for her to take it down a few notches, seeing how she was the first one to make the door give even a little, but Aala refused.

After lunch, Zebro was having them do the exercise where they had to pull a boulder strapped to their back up a hill, as seen in the newer version. Aala had long ago stopped trying to hide the obvious shaking of her body and was fumbling with the straps a minute because of it.

Gon was eyeing her worriedly. He could see that when she was waiting for him to come back, she hadn't just been sitting. She had been training some more, even when she really should have been sleeping. When he would ask if she was okay, she would nod and tell him not to worry about it. He could tell it was a blatant lie, but couldn't get her to tell him the truth.

Aala had just gotten the straps right and Zebro gave the signal to start. As usual, Aala started pulling like her life depended on it. in her mind, lifes did depend on it, but it just wasn't hers. A minute after they started, her left leg shook more than normal and buckled under her. Most people would take that as a sight to stop, but she just growled and ignored the searing pain in her leg.

The others looked worriedly at her, but Aala didn't notice and just pushed on. She was almost to the top, with Leorio and Kurapika just a little ways behind, when her ailing leg finally couldn't take it any more. Aala felt something give in her leg and fear flashed through her mind. it was at a particularly bad time, as her other leg was just coming down on some loose dirt and rocks. Without the support of its partner, it couldn't get a good enough perchis, and so Aala fell back.

Now that Aala wasn't there to keep the boulder in place, it started to drag the exhausted girl down the hill. The boulder rent down the hill considerably faster than it came up and Aala was rolling helplessly behind it. Even after the boulder reached the base of the hill, it kept rolling a couple of feet. It all happened in ten seconds.

Gon was the first to get to her. "Aala! Are you okay?!" He shouted and knelt down next to her.

She was laying on her stomach with her face turned towards the boulder. "I'm-" she started as she tried to get up, but the pain in her left leg as she tried to get it under her stopped the lie about to leave her lips. "I'll be alright." she said instead as she used her arms to lean herself on the boulder.

Zebro came with Leorio and Kurapika just a little ways behind. Aala was holding her injured leg to her chest in an attempt to lessen the pain. Leorio gently moved Gon out of the way to help her. When Aala saw him the only thought that was coming through the pain was _Leorio = Doctor = Help = No pain._

He asked her to try to move her leg, and found she could only move it to a 45 degree angle. Aala told him that it was the muscle on the outside of her thigh that hurt the most. After the brief examination, Leorio sighed and said, "It's nothing too serious, just a partially torn muscle. It'll heal in a couple of days, but you have to stay off that leg."

Aala was about to protest, but Leorio wouldn't hear any of it. "Doctor's orders. You need to stay off that leg." Then he gave an exasperated sigh and told her, "Why do you think we've all been telling you to slow down a little? We were worried that something like this would happen. You're lucky it isn't any worse, some torn muscles require surgery to heal."

She just nodded, somewhere in the back of her mind she had known all of this, but she had refused to accept it. Leorio carried Aala bridle style to the house with Gon trailing right behind him. Aala was laid down on her bed and a couple of pillows were used to prop her leg. Kurapika got an ice pack and towel to help with the swelling.

As soon as she was taken care of, Zebro ushered Leorio and Kurapika out to continue training. Gon stayed with Aala. They were both silent for a while; Aala looking at her leg, and Gon looking at Aala. Then suddenly, she started to laugh.

Alarmed, Gon asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing really, Gon. It's just that this whole situation has a certain amount of irony." He looked confused and Aala explained. "You see, a couple of years ago, my right knee was dislocated in an accident in P.E. Since then, I've had a fear of something happening to my other leg. Something did happen, but it was entirely my fault."

"What happened to your knee?" Gon asked curiously.

Aala closed her eyes and leaned back into the stack of pillows behind her, remembering that Friday morning before spring break. "Well, I was in 7th grade and had P.E. for first period. Our class was playing basketball and, being the tallest on the team, I was hanging back to guard our basket. One guy came running up and tried to score, and I jumped to block the ball. But when my right leg came down, the guy ran into me. I felt something give in my knee.

"Just by looking at my knee, you could tell something was terribly wrong. One girl on my team looked like she was going to vomit when she saw my knee. Our teacher came over and called an ambulance, then called the office to call my parents. While we were waiting for the ambulance and my parents to show up, two of the teachers were talking to me to help keep me calm.

"When the paramedics got there, they told me that they were had to get me to the hospital to put my knee back in place. My parents got there about that time. I struck up a conversation with the man who rode with my mom and me in the back of the ambulance. He kept on telling me how impressed he was that I was able to keep up a conversation and not be crying. He told me that he'd seen grown men bawling with injuries less severe than mine. I just told him I always had a large tolerance for pain." Aala couldn't help but chuckle at the memory.

"What happened then?" Gon was looking at her and had his elbows on the edge of the bed. Aala chuckled again and explained that when she got to the hospital, they gave her some medicine that knocked her out so they could reset the leg without her remembering the pain. Then how the effects of the mediation made everything seem to go by in a blur.

When she was aware enough, her parents asked if she wanted to go with her mom or dad, as they were already separated then. She went with her dad because his apartment was closer and it would be easier for her to move around in the smaller environment. She was discharged from the hospital about the time her sister got out of school, so she went with her dad to pick her up.

Gon then made her explain everything that happened after with her leg, to the couple of hours when she tried to use the crutches she was given, but promptly abandoned. The doctors had told her she didn't need the crutches if she could walk with the brace on her knee. Then the check ups with the physical therapist and her time just helping around in the library, which was replacing her period of P.E.

Eventually Aala had said everything there was to say on that matter and finished with, "I'm just glad that this time isn't as serious. I'll be fine in a couple days."

Gon suddenly looked sad as he asked, "Why did you push yourself so hard? You didn't have to."

Aala sighed and tilted her head back. "Because I don't want to be a burden. All four of you are amazing people, and I feel small compared to you. Now I know the only reason I'm here is to protect all of you. When I heard that, it sounded as absurd as a house cat protecting a group of lions. I want to be enough to protect you, or at the very least, help you protect yourselves."

"But, Aala you don't have to push yourself so hard." Gon said imploringly. "You really could have been hurt worse."

She placed a hand on top of his head. "I know that Gon. I just felt like if I didn't push myself like that, I would be letting you down in some way. I've seen you and Killua train, and everything comes so easy to the two of you. I want to be sure that I can keep up."

There was more that could've been said, but it was then that Leorio and Kurapika came in with dinner. The group made light conversation for the rest of the time before the other three had to go help with the house chores. Before he left, Gon looked at her and Aala nodded her understanding. The conversation wasn't over just yet.

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While back in the Zoldyck house, word had just reached them that Killua's 'friends' who were training to open the testing gates had managed to actually make the gate move the slightest amount. Killua's tormentors, his mother and Milluki, hadn't bothered to tell him that his friends were here on a suggestion by Illumi. He had told them that one of the 'friends' had told Killua that they would come and get him, so it would probably be best if they kept the fact that they were here if they should arrive.

The two were arguing about what to do now that it seemed that they had a chance of getting through the gates. In their anger, they forgot that they were arguing right outside the door to Killua's cell. Killua heard all that he needed to. His friends were here, and they were trying to get him out.

Killua had never doubted that they would come, but he was wondering when they would get here. Now he had an answer. He still didn't know when they would actually get him out, but just knowing they were there was enough.

During the brief periods of time that he was left alone, all he had to do was think. His thoughts were almost always the same, but gradually, they turned more negative, but also more positive. He didn't think that he was how Aala saw him, not even close. But, if - no _when_ he got back with his friends, he could become like that. With their help of course.

But all he could do for now, is wait and remember.

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Hope you liked this chapter! They all will be reunited and then go their separate ways, going into the Heavens Arena arc in the next chapter. You'll be finding out Aala's nen type in a few chapters, and her ability a couple chapters after that. Would anyone like to guess? I would love to hear them! :D

Just one last thing, I do have a poll that I would live for you to vote on as well as review for this chapter. And thank you for reading this far! See you in about a week!


	14. Butlers and Buffers

Got the next chapter out! Sorry it took longer than I thought, the book I have to read for English is the opposite of inspiring and to be honest, downright depressing. I am an avid enough reader to recognise a good book even though I don't like it, so I'm not saying it is a bad book, but it's just not my cup of tea. And the rest of what we have to read for the year doesn't look any better. *sigh* That and I was kinda at a road block as to how to finish the Zoldyck arc. Sorry. :P

Just want to remind you all that I have a **poll** up. The result is the same as last week, with the yes, both of them option leading with four votes. There have been seven voters so far, and I know there are at least 32 more people who are reading this fanfic. Hope you **vote**!

Replies to Reviews:

SilverDewDrop - Yeah, sorry it felt that way, but glad you loved it! In truth, that chapter was written in only three days because my English homework was sapping me of my will to write. I had to read a book for English called "All Quiet on the Western Front", and I can tell it's very well written, but in all honesty, it's boring as hell to me. I had to force myself read it. You see, I prefer stories that have hope and joy in them and this book is about a German soldier going through WW1. It ends like most horror movies. And your guess for her nen type is logical. You'll see if you're right soon enough. ;)

The last Nightwalker - Glad you thought it was logical (For the situation). Reasonability is what I strive for when typing all this out. I want to be as sure as possible that something doesn't just come out of nowhere. I do my best to imagine what Aala would do in this situation and often put myself in her shoes. Sometimes she is going to be a bit reckless, but nowhere near Gon's caliber.

Isella of the wolf tribe - Don't worry, Killua will be rescued in this chapter, so yay! I hope you like this chapter to! :D

MidoriEmerald13 - Well, I thought it would be the most likely thing of their to do, over exert herself. Especially when she doesn't want to be a burden to the others. Your welcome for the explanation. I will go more indepth with that part of her soon.

Nispednana - (Ch. 3) Glad you liked the chapter! I thought the density of it was right for so early in the fanfic and that should be the shortest chapter I write. And I will keep writing! (Ch. 4) To be honest, your review on this chapter threw me in a loop. So, to be clear, THIS IS NOT A KILLUAXOC STORY. I'm sorry if something I wrote gave you that impression, but Aala is a big sister figure to both Gon and Killua. That chapter was just supposed to highlight the brother/sister relationship that I was going for. Sorry again for any confusion, I thought I had at least made that impression earlier. Quite honestly, I doubt I will ever write a KilluaxOC story.

Well, here's chapter 14!

* * *

Gon and Aala's conversation didn't resume until after breakfast the next day. The others went off to do their training while Gon stayed back with Aala. At first, they talked about anything that came to mind before Gon asked the question. "Why wouldn't you be able to keep up?"

Aala thought about how to best phrase her answer. "Both you and Killua are proteges of the skill you will be learning. Lux did tell me that I should have the same talent that you do, but talent won't make up for effort. If you put in more effort than I do, you will leave me behind."

He laughed at that. "If you put as much effort in that training as you did this one, you'll probably end up leaving us behind."

She laughed along with him and the conversation turned lighter and just wondered to what ever there was to talk about. Eventually, though, the topics ran out. To have something to do, Aala got her book from her backpack and started to read out loud. After reading a few fables, Gon commented on the text of the book and asked where she found it.

Aala looked at him, then remembered that the main form of writing in this world were those weird symbols. "This is the written language that we use where I come from. That reminds me, I need someone to teach me to write."

Gon looked at her like he was waiting for the punch line, but it never came. "What do you mean?"

She pointed to the text of the book. "This is the only type of writing that I'm able to write. I can read the form of writing that is most common here, but I think that's something the otters did to me that they forgot to mention. I would like to be able to write the other form since I'm going to be here for a while."

An hour after that, there were several sheets of paper on the bed. Gon had drawn a chart showing what symbols meant what letters, and Aala had quickly started memorizing them. Though tedious, she started by writing each symbol and corresponding it with the letter it represented several times over, and it helped her. After getting a rough feel for it, she began to translate the fables from the book.

That was how Leorio and Kurapika found them, when they brought them lunch. Gon was looking over one of the translations she did and said it was perfect. "What are you two doing?" Leorio asked.

"I'm teaching Aala how to write." Gon responded cheerily. The two blinked and looked to Aala for an answer. She explained the need for the writing lesson and they nodded in understanding.

They then told them that neither of them had been able to make the door budge. It was obvious that Leorio had a small amount of frustration at that. After they were done eating, Leorio checked over Aala's leg and told her that it should be fully healed by the next day and that she could join in on the training. She was happy to hear that. Though she wouldn't be pushing herself as hard, she still needed to get stronger.

Unfortunately, the lunch break was over far too soon, and left to continue with Zebro. Once Aala's hand was cramping from writing so much, Gon managed to find something to talk about until dinner came. After which, Leorio cleared her to try to walk around and she did. Her leg felt stiff as a board and ached horribly, but after walking on it for a little while, it loosened up.

So, that night she was able to meet Gon at her window again as he was heading out for his training. Before he went off, Aala told him, "Tonight's the last night you'll have to go train in secret." He looked to her, confused. "Tomorrow's the one week mark that we've been here and that means that your arm should be fully healed."

Gon's eyes went wide and he excitedly asked, "Really?"

Aala just nodded, "Yes, really. We'll be training together tomorrow. And don't worry, I won't do anything crazy like I did before." She could only smile along with Gon as he heard the news and watched with the same fond smile as he went off to train. For once, instead of waiting for him to come back, Aala got some much needed rest.

When Gon came back, he was happy to see that Aala had decided to rest and take care of herself.

XXXXXXXX

The next day, Aala made her way to the kitchen like she had before and offered to help with breakfast. Seeing that she was all better, Zebro gave her the task of making the eggs. Inwardly, Aala winced at taking up the heavy spatula but was happy to feel that it was much better than what she had been expecting. She had feared she would be back to square one.

Breakfast was as usual today except for the fact that Gon announced that he would be joining them in their training today. Leorio and Kurapika both protested, saying that his arm was still broken, but Gon told them that his arm was fully healed. To prove the fact, the removed it from its sling and proceeded to help clear up the plates with it. When the others were still not convinced, he did a one armed handstand to prove that, without a doubt, his arm was healed.

Aala only chuckled at this, and the display was accepted but Leorio still checked over Gon's arm himself to be absolutely, 100% sure. One he was satisfied, they all headed out to the gates. Leorio, Kurapika and Gon each tried to open the gates respectively, but the doors still wouldn't give any ground. Aala expected the same of her attempt, but was amazed to find that the door opened the tiniest of cracks.

While Zebro was speaking with Seaquant by the guard house, Leorio fumed, "After a week of training and only Aala is able to make the door give. And that's only because she literally ran herself in to the ground! I wonder if we're getting any stronger." He then walked over to the intruder's entrance and looked at them. "Want to try on these doors."

Before anyone could respond, Aala stepped between him and the doors giving him a hard look. "Don't even think about it. I've seen _that_ play out, and I'd rather not get a heart attack so early." She then crossed her arms and Leorio hastily backed away.

Gon looked curiously and asked, "What would've happened?"

"The moment Leorio would start pushing, the doors would be ripped from their hinges, flinging him on to the Zoldyck grounds as an intruder. He would be dazed from the landing and being you, you would race in there to distract Mike. The only reason why you wouldn't have been eaten would have been because a Zoldyck family member would have called Mike to them."

She stated all this so calmly, the others could only stare. Zebro come out then and they went on with their training. As promised, Aala did moderate herself so she went at the same pace as everyone else. The routine they set carried them through the remaining days. The only thing that was different was that Aala remembered that there was a little something she could work on to help with her writing skills and something that Kurapika might ask for. On the 20th day, all four of them were able to open the gates and were able to progress on schedule. Leorio and Aala were even able to get the _second_ gate to open.

Since she had woken up that morning, Aala had been feeling a little nervous about the day ahead. It would be the closest call that they would have in this arc. They would encounter Killua's mother face to face. Should she choose to kill them all, there would be no way for them to escape. She felt rely shook her head to rid herself of the morbid thought. _Everything will be fine, just like last time._ She comforted herself.

The group of four were now walking up the path to where they would meet Canary, and then Gon would get the crap beaten out of him for a few hours. Again. Aala mentally winced as this was the part of the day she was really dreading. Anticipating that though, she had some small hand towels and a bottle of water to help clean Gon's face after it was all over.

All too soon for Aala's liking, they arrived at the low gate with Canary guarding the only entrance. She stayed out of it for the most part then. She just helped Gon to his feet after particularly hard blows. The sun was setting by the time Canary was cracking.

She looked at Leorio, Kurapika, and Aala with pleading eyes. "Stop him! Why don't you stop him?! Isn't he your friend?!" The three just stood there and watched as Gon approached the entrance for God knows what time. Aala felt a sense of relief as she knew it would be for the last time.

Gon made his speech to Canary and demolished one of the pillars beside where she was standing. Canary finally caved, but before she could finish her plea, a shot of what could only be nen came and knocked her unconscious. Aala was the first to react and look to where the shot had come from and felt fear shoot up her spine.

Killua's mother, Kikyō Zoldyck, was standing there with her ridiculously elaborate dress and Kalluto by her side. "You'll have to forgive the help," she droned on in the sickeningly sweet voice that Aala knew could shift to sound like nailed on a chalkboard, "they shouldn't be saying such things. She make it sound like we were mistreating Kil in some way."

Then the witch looked at them and offered an obviously forced smile. "You must be Kil's 'friends' from the Hunter exam, right?" The way she said 'friends was like she was trying to get something unstuck from her throat. "Kil has a message for you: 'Thanks for coming all this way to see me, but all the effort was pointless. I am currently occupied with family business. I will not be able to get out of it for some time. My apologies.'"

Aala fought the urge to scoff at the so called "message". It was a little harsher than what she remembered, but it would fit. Gon seemed to go along with what she said, but Aala knew it was an act, as she had warned them about Kikyō's lies before hand. "Isn't there any way we can see Killua?" he asked.

The woman just held her fan up by her lips and said, "No their isn't. He is going through solidarity confinement to pay for hurting his older brother and me before he is sent out on his next job. He may have run away, but he is still a Zoldyck, one of the best professional _assassins_ in the world. It's for the best that you don't see him anymore. He realized his true calling in life and returned volunt-"

Thankfully, her drivel was cut off then and she went oh her rant. She excused herself and ran off towards the main house. As they both left, Aala was thankful for seeing them leave. She was positive that Kikyō hadn't put that much, if any emphasis on Killua being an assassin before, but it wasn't a big enough change to merit any panic. Canary was just coming to and offered to lead them to the butler's quarters.

The warm welcome at the butler's quarters was enough to undo any unease that the more forceful message had done. Killua was in the house and they were all fine. All they had to do was last through Gotoh's coin game until Killua found them and they could be on their way. Aala was a still little nervous, but she dismissed it from her mind. No time for that now.

Gon was given proper medical care for the blows to his face then they all were in the sitting room, under the pretense of waiting for Killua while _he_ was waiting for them to get there. Aala had decided to not tell them this because Gon was liable to ignore any instructions she gave him and outright demand to be reunited with Killua. That may not go over so well.

The game started with the coin being in the left hand. It was on its third round when Gotoh made everything more serious. Aala stiffened at that. She had been keeping up well with the current difficulty of the game but didn't know if she could continue. With the next coin flip, his hands were a blur and the coin was just a gold glint.

Aala had always been good at these sorts of games, where you needed to keep track of an object, so she was about 60% sure that the coin was in his right hand. She didn't remember the order of where the coin was from the anime(who would at the top of their head after all this time?), but it would hardly matter anyway. Gotoh could have just as easily chosen to use a different hand. But she did know that it was pretty much guessing which hand the coin was in until the last round.

It was in the right hand like she, Gon, and Kurapika guessed but Leorio guessed left so he was out. With the next flip, Kurapika went with right again while Gon and Aala went with the left. Kurapika was disqualified that round and that was the round that Gon asked for Leorio's knife to help him see. Two more butlers came to help with the last round.

This was the round that Aala almost completely lost track of the coin, when she noticed that for the last couple of seconds, there was an absence of a gold glint between all the fingers. She inwardly smiled because she knew that the man behind them was the one to have the coin. Gon guessed it too right before Killua found them.

He shouted out Gon and Aala's names while Kurapika was a side note and he got Leorio's name wrong, which caused an irritated correction. Aala immediately jumped up and ran to the boy, pulling him into a warm, gentle hug, mindful of his injuries. "I'm so happy you're back with us again."

Killua colored slightly while he mumbled out, "Me too." Then to Gon he said, "What happened to you? Your face is a wreck!"

"Yours isn't much better!" Was the cheerful response. At that, Aala winced slightly and bit back a growl. There was one lash mark that was dangerously close to his eye for her liking.

But the smile she had worn from the moment she heard the door open was fortified when Killua addressed Gotoh. "No matter _what_ my mother says, I _don't_ need anyone following me. Alright." The last bit was more of a statement than a question. Killua then turned to his friends and said, "Let's hurry up and get out of here before my mother changes her mind!"

Aala followed him out while Gon had his exchange with Gotoh. A little after they were walking, Killua stopped and stared at them in shock. "You're really here. You really came for me."

She just chuckled and ruffled his hair, "What did you think this was all a wonderful dream?" Killua smiled at her light joke as did everyone else. "Trust me Killua, your friends will always, _always_ be there for you when you need them."

The topic of conversation was lighter from there. Mostly it was filling Killua in on what they had been doing while training. They also told him that they would have to fill him in on the more important things once they got on the train. He tried to get an answer out of them, but none of them did.

They reached the train station soon enough. Before they boarded the train, a flash of light caught Aala's eye and she looked to the source and saw Lux standing in the crowd. He flashed all ten fingers, then just one hand. Aala nodded; that was one of the codes they had come up with. The first flash was ten, then another flash of five. They would be there in 15 minutes. Enough time to introduce some things to Killua.

The group of five made themselves comfortable in the larger compartment they had secured with a flash of a Hunter's license. There was more than enough room for the five of them, they could easily have Lux and Minty there and everyone be comfortable.

As soon as they were on their way, Aala took the reins and began to explain what had happened on the airship. He took everything in silently. When she was done giving the brief explanation, the time was about up. He just sat there and looked at Aala. All they had explained was a brief overview of who the otters were and why they sent Aala here with no explanation. "And you're just okay with all this?" he asked.

Aala just shrugged her shoulders. "There's not much I can do and out it either way. There's no way I can back out and no way to change the circumstances by doing so. The only thing I can do is to stay and do what they sent me here to do."

Killua just continued to stare. "You're okay with being forced to risk your life be protecting us?" he asked, fearing the answer.

With a heavy sigh, Aala looked directly into Killua's eyes. "No one is forcing me to do anything, Killua. The reason I'm going to protect you and Gon is because I love you both like you were my own younger brothers, the ones I always wanted. I made this promise to Gon, and now I'm going to make it to you: I will gladly give my life if it means you will be safe. There's no way in hell I'm going to let them so much as touch you."

No one knew quite how to move on from such a solemn promise. No one in the room doubted what Aala said for a second. Thankfully, there was a knock at the door and Aala opened it to reveal Lux and Minty standing on the other side.

They both introduced themselves to Killua, Lux a little nervously. This did not go unnoticed by Killua. He eyed the other boy and asked, "Why are you nervous?"

Lux chuckled hesitantly. "Well, we're not sure how you would have taken everything. If it pissed you off enough, you could kill us both before anyone could blink. Even if you didn't kill us, no one wants to be on your bad side." _There's also the fact that you're like a brother to Aala. Gon is easy, while I'm not sure about you if I were to ask her out_ he tacked on to end in his head.

"What about you?" Killua asked Minty.

She just bowed her head slightly and answered, "All that and the fact that many of us have respected and admired you for a long time." Killua stared at her and blinked a couple of times, but got over it and they all sat down facing each other. "So, do you have any questions for us Killua?"

He nodded and said, "There is one that I thought up. Do you know why the divers decided to try and capture us first?"

That was one question that none of them asked before. The two siblings looked at each other and Lux was the one to answer the question. "It was because unlike other anime of the same genre, and most other mediums of entertainment of the same genre, you and Gon are not the end all save all. That meant that it would be easier to get you."

The answer confused the four, while Aala nodded in agreement. "That was one of the things that I really liked about the series." Seeing the confused looks on her friends faces, she explained. "In most of the series and books and series that I've seen or read, the main characters are the ones that everything depends on. In short, if they fail, the world ends and/or everyone dies. I liked that you all weren't put under that kind of pressure. You were put in danger, but the stakes were never that high for the two of you."

They seemed to get the explanation well enough. Killua had no more questions after that and they spent the rest of the time just talking and having fun. Somehow, they ended up going through the pictures on Aala's iPad. She explained who everyone was and the events each picture was taken at.

When they made their way to the music that she had. A certain playlist caught Killua's eye; it was labeled, 'HXH fav openings'. "What's this?" he asked. Just as he taped on it, the music for the first opening of the 2011 version started to play. Just as the lyrics started, the four looked confused again.

"What language are they speaking?" Gon asked, still listening to the words he couldn't understand.

Aala chuckled. "It's Japanese. This is the playlist I have of my favorite openings of the series. These are the only openings that I think I could sing as they are. I don't speak the language, but I've memorized the translation. It translates too:*

Step firmly on the earth, you wake up and go

Toward that angel's smile

Even if there's only me, that doesn't mean I'm alone

There must be meaning in my existence

You can smile again

Bathing in sunshine

You can fly away

The world is waiting for your light to shine

Step firmly on the earth, you wake up and go

Toward that angel's smile (You can smile!)

"Starting" is never too late, so no matter how many times it takes

Just stand up again!"

Aala gave the translations for the other two openings(the second version and the fifth opening for the greed island OVA) that she had on. It was then that she was able to reclaim her iPad and as she watched her friends happily conversing with each other, she got an idea. Aala brought her iPad up and pulled up the camera and started to record the happy scene in front of her.

The first one to notice was Killua. "What are you doing?" he asked.

She just aims the camera towards him and answered, "I'm just making a video."

"But why?" He pushed his face into the camera as if it could give him an answer.

Aala pulled the camera back and giggled, "Because I want to start to document these happy times so we can look back on them later." _Also so we can remember how to be happy once the chimera ants come in._ She kept that last part to herself so no one would worry about that.

"That sounds like a great idea!" Gon shouted and came up to wave at the camera. "Today is the day we got Killua back!" He then grabbed Killua by the arm to drag him into the shot and smiled ear to ear. "I'm so happy we got my best friend back! Now we can travel to find my dad together!"

Killua blushed at this and tried to no avail to get Gon's arms unlatch from his. "G-Gon, don't be so embarrassing." Aala took pity on him and turned the camera to get the other four in the room. The all waved at the camera and said a little something. They then took turns with the camera, in a sort of game where the holder of the camera pointed it at a person and whatever they asked the person to do, they had to do it.

When the camera got into Killua's hands, he got a wicked grin on his face and pointed it at Aala. "Hey, Aala," The tone he used wasn't reassuring, "can you sing for the camera."

Wary of anything he might ask, but willing to go along with it as long as it wasn't too outlandish, she gave a hesitant nod. "What song do you want me to sing?"

The smile on Killua's face widened and he said, "Sing those three openings that you have on this iPad."

Aala blinked before she groaned, "Oh, can't you pick something else, Killua? I'm going to end up butchering some of my favorite songs."

Killua laughed, "And that's what's going to make it funny." Aala was about to protest again when Killua interrupted her. "Didn't you say I was like a younger brother to you? Aren't younger brothers supposed to do this to their older sisters?"

Groaning again, this time, defeat Aala stood to sing. She did her absolute best but still thought that she still butchered it. Killua was laughing and the others were hiding grins. As she sat back down, she glared at the laughing boy still holding the camera. "Do you know the saying 'payback's a bitch?'."

This stopped Killua's laughing and he answered, "No"

It was Aala's turn to smile now. "Well, as an older sister, I will make sure you know the meaning of that phrase soon enough."

The game continued on for a few more minutes, before Minty looked at the time. "It's getting late. We should probably get going." She stood up from where she had been sitting beside Leorio and motioned to her brother and waved goodbye. Lux reluctantly got up from where he had been sitting beside Aala.

"We'll contact you when you, Gon, and Killua make it to your next destination. See you then." And with that, he followed his sister out the door. After that, it was pretty normal getting ready to sleep on the train.

Aala was getting comfortable on the seat in between Gon and Killua when Killua suddenly asked her, "Did you mean what you said then? Really mean it?" The questions came out barely above a whisper.

She looked at him in surprise. He was looking at her with subdued pleading eyes. "When?" was all she could say.

Killua took a deep breath and said, "During the Hunter exam. When I was out of it after my fight with my brother."

Aala smiled as she took in his statement. So he had been able to hear her then. "Every single word. You are more than just a friend to me, you're as good as family. I pride myself on my sense of loyalty, especially to the ones I care most about, so even the promise I made you was true."

As Killua took in the statement, he looked down and mumbled into his blanket, "But you won't throw away your life, right?" He seemed timid in asking that question.

She chuckled as she answered. "Of course not, I'm not a complete bonehead like Gon. I want to be sure I'm there for you whenever you need me and I need to be alive for that."

Killua seemed happy with her response and told her, "You know, I think that you just might be the only older sibling that I like."

"No kidding, given the screwed up family you have." They both smiled at that and Aala added, "Everything will be fine for a while. Things don't get really crazy until September."

With a final nod, Killua whispered, "Goodnight" to her and she returned it. Then with a final look at her newly adopted younger brothers, Aala drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Sorry for the wait again. I feel this might not be the best I've gotten out, so please pick out anything that seemed subpar, so I can fix it for the next chapter. To get myself back into the flow, I'm probably going to be going back and fixing any typos in previous chapters, so maybe a little longer to get the next chapter out. Sorry in advance.

So, would you please leave me your thoughts in the box below? The reviews really help get me inspired to write, especially when you leave me something I can really respond to. I would even welcome flames because they shed light on what I may have neglected. Hope to hear from my loyal readers! I'll do my best to get the next chapter out soon. At most, two weeks pinky promise!

Oh, and remember the **poll** I have up, so make up your mind and **vote**!

*I got this translation off a YouTube video I saw. Sorry if it's different from your translation.


	15. Starts and Surprises

Sorry for updating late! This chapter would've been posted yesterday, but my mom and grandma sprung a surprise shopping trip after school. I couldn't get to work on finishing it up until like seven. I was getting to the end, but I realized that it was starting to sound like crap, and that there was no way I would be able to post THAT. And especially not THAT scene, on i had been looking forward to writing from almost the beginning. So, not being able to find a better way to finish it in my slightly frazzled state, I decided to sleep on it. So here it is.

So, it seems that I've underestimated my writing(for the previous chapter). I'm just glad I'm not overestimating it. I've cleaned up some of the previous chapters, and that really helps make me feel good about writing, your reviews are a stupendous help too! To be honest, this is the arc that I've been looking forward to writing the most, besides Greed Island.

I've had a lot of ideas for this arc, and I hope that I can portray the moments that I want to happen correctly! I think this arc will be about three or four chapters, including this one. Maybe more depending on how I feel. Hope you enjoy!

Also, my **poll** is still open, so **vote** if you haven't. The yes, both of them option is still leading with five votes. I also became a beta reader, just so you know.

Replies to Reviews:

Isella of the wolf tribe - So happy you liked it! I was worried that this chapter might not have come off so well. :) I have given a lot, and I mean _a lot_ , of thought to what to do in Heaven's Arena, and I hope I can stitch all the ideas into a coherent story line. But, trust me, if I can pull it off, there will be many funny moments! :3

SilverDewDrop - Don't worry about it, I wasn't expecting anyone to review until I got home from school that day, so I was happy that there were already two reviews when I checked before I left! :D Happy to hear that the last chapter was one of your favs and you like my OC that much! I kinda which I had an older sibling too, 'cus as the oldest in my house I'm the 'guinea pig' to test out experiences for my one younger sister. So, she gets to go through everything with a sort of guide that I mapped out for her through trial and error. Being the oldest isn't always fun... Anyways, hope you like this chapter and that you can beat your writer's block! :)

The last Nightwalker - Thanks for reminding me about the details, with all the ideas I have for this arc, I'm going to be juggling a lot of them. As you know, this is my first fanfic, so I hope that if I do screw up, it won't be too bad and I don't repeat the mistake. Glad to know that I'm not the only one. Oh, and if you notice that they aren't spread out so well, tell me. Don't worry about offending, I know you wouldn't do that, just tell me if it's glaringly obvious. I trust your judgement. And as for the feelings, I think as it is, there would be three threats and one encouragement, but only out of ignorance. In a year(storytime), an even four threats. I trust I don't need to tell who is who. (FYI, probably going to slip out to them around Greed Island) ;)

Nispedana - (Ch.5) Glad you liked it enough to grin! :) I thought I appropriate to make her situation like a time traveler as she does know the future. (Ch.6) Her past is a bit difficult to explain. So glad you think I'm doing a good job. :D

MidoriEmerald - Glad you liked the video part, wasn't sure whether to include it or not, but then I decided to go with it. And she will deliver on her promise, on video... hehe, poor Killua. ;

Phoenix - So happy to hear that you like my story that much! I will be sure you don't have to wait too long in between updates.

Mistress Silver Moon - Hope this is a quick enough update!

Yaoilover956 - (Ch. 3) Glad you enjoyed it!

avatheotaku - Umm... Okay? (I'm fine with all of the comments you left except the one about shoving Hisoka's cards there. Please don't make a comment like that again.) o.o

Enjoy chapter 15! :)

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The train arrived at the station in the morning and the group of five was walking to the airport where they would separate. They had already posed for the picture that Gon would send Aunt Mito and had six copies developed, one for each of them and one to send.

They were at the place to get the photos developed when Kurapika pulled Aala to the side. They were out of view of the others and Kurapika seemed to be trying to ask something. Eventually, he got out, "Can you tell me what you know of the Phantom Troupe?"

Aala was already one step ahead of him there. She had guessed that Kurapika would ask this of her before they parted ways and had already written down everything he wanted know about the spiders to give him. Not all at once, of course. First, just a piece of paper with all their names(some probably misspelled, but close enough), some of their personalities and appearances excluding Hisoka.

Then there was an envelope containing the rest of what he wanted to know, but with instructions on when to open it. Aala had written on it; 'Don't open until you know where you lie on this chart', along with a sketch of the relationships of nen. Inside the envelope was another envelope that has written on it; 'Yes, chains will work. Fully develop that ability before you open this one. Has most of their nen abilities and classifications.' Then, finally, a list of all the nen abilities she could remember and for the ones she had no definite ability for, just her observations on their powers.

She pulled out the papers and told the somewhat anxiously awaiting Kurapika, "Got you covered. I wrote down almost everything I know about the spiders here."

Kurapika gave her an odd look. "Almost?"

"The parts I left out are things that don't really matter, like their specific number if I know it and any quirks they might have." Aala said defensively. She looked at the papers in her hands and smiled. "I'd say that the information on these pages would be worth hundreds of billions of Jenny. I don't even think the spiders themselves know this much about each other."

Handing it to Kurapika, he looked like he was restraining himself from snatching it out of her hands. He read over the open page and looked a little disappointed. "This is just a physical description."

"Yes, but there is also the envelope. That has everything you _really_ want, but you won't be able to make any sense of the information until you can do as I've asked." Aala pointed out.

Kurapika looked at the sealed envelope and smiled ruefully. "I've waited this long of this sort of information, I can wait a little longer. Besides, their appearances is more than I've been able to find out before."

Aala chuckled. "After you read them, destroy the papers. I don't want the spiders coming after me; I wouldn't last through the week if they caught wind that someone knows _that_ much about them."

He nodded along with her, a smile playing across his face as well. Kurapika put the papers along with his other positions. "Well, thank you for trusting me with this information. It will most definitely help me."

Before Kurapika could walk back into view of the others, Aala caught his arm and looked at him seriously. "Promise to keep a level head and not do anything crazy after you learn that information?" He nodded. "Also, promise to call me after you read it all." Again another nod. "Good. As long as your actions don't deviate too wildly from what you should've done, everything will be fine."

And as Aala walked away, Kurapika wondered who that was supposed to convince more. He thought to the expression she had on when she was making him promise things. Kurapika could guess what was going through her mind then, she was questioning if it was the right move to let him have the information. It's a virtual guarantee he would not have had that information without her help. He would be worthy of her trust.

The rest of the trip to the airport was uneventful. Gon sent the letter to Aunt Mito and while Kurapika was explaining the trick Gotoh used on him, Aala checked her iPad's battery and saw a note under today's date. March third. _Oh, yeah, I almost forgot._

With a smile on her face, Aala excused herself on pretence of going to the bathroom when she really went to one of the many small stores in the airport. The store had prepackaged food ready to buy for any hungry person in a hurry and luckily for Aala, there was a small refrigerated shelf right at the checkout with an assortment of cold beverages and small desserts.

Still smiling, Aala picked out a slice of cheesecake and a bottle of milk to go with it, then picked up a fork to use as she paid and put it in the bag with the other things. Aala was practically bouncing as she made her way over other friends. _I can't wait to see Leorio's face._ She had the bag behind her, then when she was in front of Leorio, she thrust the bag into his hand and shouted, "Happy birthday, Leorio!"

Leorio blinked a few times then looked at the bag in his hands and stuttered, "T-Thanks but how did you know? I never told anyone." The others looked surprised as well and waited for her to answer.

At this, Aala was rocking slightly on her heels and looking anywhere but at them as she answered, "Well... I may or may not have looked up all your birthdays and then may or may not have marked them on the calendar on my iPad so that when I checked it this morning, there was a note that reminded me."

The way she said it left no doubt that she did in fact do just that. The four of them just stared at her before Killua just said, "That's really weird."

Aala just shrugged. "It's not like I would do anything weird; I would just look at the date and wish you a happy birthday in my head." Aala saw that they weren't going to break the silence, so Aala did.

She clapped her hands together and cheerfully declared, "Moving on from that, I believe the next time we can all meet up will be September first, in Yorknew city?" That startled them out of their daze and and then they all resolved to meet the others then and went off to catch their separate airships. Before they did Leorio gave Aala a proper thank you.

Gon, Killua and Aala were out where they would board the airship to Heavens Arena when Killua showed Gon exactly why they needed to train if he wanted to beat Hisoka. After his explanation, Killua saw how Aala was looking at the chart drawn in the dirt. "Is there something wrong, Aala?"

"No, not really. The chart is accurate with their physical ability, but if you factor in the ability we will be learning soon enough, it would be more like this." Then Aala got the stick from Killua and started to extend Hisoka's end of the line until she reached the fence that was there. "And I'm not even completely sure that's an accurate judgement."

Killua stared at the large segment of line that she had added on. "Are you sure you're not overestimating Hisoka? He's strong, but how can he hide _that_ much strength."

"You said it yourself, the stronger you are, the more strength you're hiding." Aala looked to stare both Gon and Killua in the eye. "This is just my estimate. I have only seen Hisoka fight, and I mean truly fight not just massacre, only a small handful of times. And I have never, _never_ seen him go all out. It'll be one hell of a battle when he does."

The two boys nodded solemnly and the three some made their way to the airship. They only had enough money for two tickets, but Aala just used her Hunter's license to get on board. As they took their seats, Aala excitedly looked out the window as they took off.

Gon noticed and commented on that fact. "You seem really excited."

Aala could only nod. "What can I say, I've always loved the Heavens Arena arc. I've heard that other people find it a little boring, but I love it."

The two boys looked slightly confused and Killua asked, "What do you mean by 'arc'?"

"As in story arc. So far, we have gone through the Hunter exam arc and the Zoldyck family arc. After Heavens Arena, it's the Yorknew city arc. Arcs are sort of like chapters of a person's life. That's really the best way I can explain it."

They seemed to accept her answer and Gon asked, "What are the other arcs?"

"Well after Yorknew, there's the Greed Island arc, my personal favorite. Then there's the Chimera Ant arc-" Aala stopped abruptly, images of said arc flooding her mind. Villages invaded by the ants, Pitou fighting Kite, and the King killing innocent people. But above all those, images of Killua nearly dying from that deadly dart game and Gon lying completely wrapped up on a hospital bed.

"Aala, are you okay?" Gon's concerned voice broke Aala out of her thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She replied and gave them a shaky smile.

Killua eyed her suspiciously. "You sure? You don't _look_ fine."

With a deep breath about as shaky as her smile, Aala admitted, "Physically I'm fine, but bringing up the Chimera ant arc has brought up things that I've tried to keep at the back of my mind ever since I realized all this was real."

"That bad?" Killua asked, raising an eyebrow.

Aala let out a loud scoff. "You have no idea." she chuckled with not a trace of humor to it. "If I'm being honest with myself, I know that's the thing that has me scared out of my wits about all this. That arc broke my heart and put it back together so many times. Then, at the end, my heart was ripped to shreds, trample, and spit on."

Gon looked horrified at what she was saying. "Then why did you watch if it was hurting you?!" equal parts surprised and confused.

The small giggle the Aala let out at his reaction surprised the two boys. "I know it sounds strange, but that was kinda the point in watching it. When someone watches or reads something, the goal is for it to make you _feel_ something. Trust me, that was not the first, nor the last that I cried while watching or reading something."

At their still confused looks, Aala continued. "If you want to enjoy the story, you need to get emotionally invested. And then, if the story is good, you're in for a ride. I remember once when I was seeing a movie called 'Hunger Games: Catching Fire' for the second time at the theater, I had to leave once to have a good cry out in the hall."*

"So, you _want_ to get hurt?" Gon asked in confusion.

The laugh that Aala gave them was truly genuine. "I guess you can put it like that." She wiped away the small amount of moisture that had unavoidably gathered in her eyes. "Now, let's move on to a happier topic before I start crying. All that bad stuff is over a year away and we can worry about it then."

 _A year isn't that long_ an unhelpful part of her said. Aala was able to shove those thoughts down and enjoy the light hearted conversation Gon started. She knew that they would spring up whenever there was a lull and most definitely haunt her dreams as it approached. But for now, she was safe.

XXXXXXXX

The trip to Heavens Arena was a fun one. They joked on the airship and generally had fun. When they landed, Aala found a note in a tree that told her that Lux and Minty would come and visit their hotel room after their fights the next day.

They ended up racing to the arena, blasting through the streets aiming for the tall tower that dominated the skyline. Killua won, mostly because he was the only one who actually knew the way there and wasn't just aiming. Gon and Aala tied and she laughed when Gon accused Killua of cheating while he defended himself saying it wasn't his fault that they didn't know the shortcuts he did.

The three of them filled out the forms needed and went to wait for their name to be called. As soon as they walked into the room, once again the smell took Aala by surprise. The room reeked of sweat, various other body odors that she didn't want to think about, and underlying that, blood. She couldn't help but cringe slightly, but she'd smelled worse.

Killua looked happy as he sighed, "Yep, still exactly the same."

"It's been four years, right?" Aala questioned, wanting to test her knowledge. She was rewarded with a nod.

Gon looked impressed. "So you were here when you were eight?"

"My dad dropped me off here when I was six and told me I couldn't come home 'till I reached the 200th floor. Spent two years here." Killua explained.

It was about then that Aala started to notice he stares and whispers following her. She looked around and saw that she was being eyed by most of the men around her. She had never seen anyone with that sort of look on their face, but she could guess. Mentally she groaned. _I should have seen this coming. There aren't exactly that many women here..._

Just as she thought it, a man stood up and whistled to her. "Hey this is no place for a nice doll like you. Why don't you come with me and I'll show you a _really_ good time."

Killua was about to turn around and say something, but Aala surprised him when she turned quicker and snapped, "Why don't you go fuck off, asshole!" Then turned sharply on her heel and continued to march down the steps, shoulders squared in a way they weren't before.

There was a chorus of amused comments directed at her after her outburst and Killua wanted nothing more than to shut them up. Every comment was an obvious jibe to try to get Aala in their bed, but Aala was surprising him with how well she was handling it. She returned every comment with an insult filled with venom and when the comments turned to curses, she returned it with one of equal force, if not stronger. Killua was shocked that Aala could curse that well.

By the time they found somewhere to sit, Aala must have cussed out most, if not all, of the men in their immediate vicinity. All the while, her voice and body language changed. She was normally leaning more towards soft spoken and was relaxed. Now, her voice was sharp enough to cut paper and she protected the image someone itching to fight.

Gon was staring wide eyed at her when they sat. "Where did you learn how to curse like that Aala?"

She shrugged. "T.V., movies, the more adult animes. I knew cuss words since I was seven. I would develop some of the curses you just heard in my head when I was particularly pissed. Now I have a chance to try them out."

Before anyone could say anything else, another man just took the seat behind them. He leaned forward and cooed in her ear, "Looks like this kitten has some claws. I like the feisty ones. Don't deny it, I know you want some." To try to clinch it, the guy snapped the strap of her bra through her shirt.

Aala's reaction was immediate. She spun around and punched the guy square in the nose. Blood flowed out of the most definitely broken nose and before the guy could so much as yell in retaliation, she had her Hunter's license in between her fingers and she growled out, "Leave now or I'll have you arrested for attempted rape."

The man started to scurry away pathetically as soon as he saw the card, then stood up and ran out at her threat. Aala was surprising her two friends a lot today; first with their birthdays, second with her feelings, then with her cursing, _now_ with her precise and violent reaction! Neither could find the words to express their surprise, but then Gon was called to fight.

Killua whispered his suggestion in his ear while Aala just wished him luck. She smirked on the inside. _Not that he'll need it._ As Aala was watching the proceedings with a smile on her face, Killua was watching her. Before today, he wouldn't have guessed that Aala would be the type to go off like that. He would've guessed she would've ignored it. But, looking around, her actions did deter any further advances. Maybe that was her goal.

The loud cheer from Aala knocked him out of his thoughts and he saw that Gon had sent the behemoth of a man flying across the room. _I knew he had it in him_ he was thinking with a small but very fond smile on his face and he added his cheers to Aala's.

When his number was called, he turned to Aala and asked, "Do you know what you're going to do?"

"Yeah, been thinking about it and I'm sure it will impress." She replied with a slightly crooked smile.

As she saw Killua walk off and Gon coming back in, there was a huge smile plastered on her face. The pride she felt for the two was overwhelming, especially with the crowds reactions. She high fived Gon when he got back. "Nice push, you sent him flying."

Gon rubbed the back of his head. "I didn't even push that hard."

Just then, Aala's number was called. "That's me. Wish me luck!" On her way to her match, she glimpsed Zushi's match starting and smiled. The man she was facing looked fairly normal and felt sorry she had to fight him. He didn't stand a chance.

Aala had her move all figured out; she would get behind her opponent, wipe his feet out from under him, then kick his sorry ass out of the ring. And that's exactly what happened. As she was kicking, Aala remembered when her dad was teaching her how to kick a soccer ball. _Don't use your toes, you won't have any control. Use the top of your foot and try to get under the ball._ Weird how such an innocent memory would pop up now.

The judge sent her to the 50th floor and she met the others by the elevator. "That was some kick." Gon said and Killua nodded.

"It's just about as impressive as your moves." The elevator opened then and the four of them got on. Gon, Killua and Aala were standing in a group while Zushi was off to the side. When they got off, Zushi bowed to them and introduced himself and they returned the gesture.

"What type of martial arts do you practice? I'm a student of Shingen-Ryu Kung Fu myself."

They all looked at one another and Killua told him, "We don't have one?"

Zushi looked beyond amazed. "Completely self taught! And so strong too. I am obviously far below you." And he bowed deeply to them.

Aala laughed. "There's no need for that, Zushi. We have as much room to improve as you do."

Then a voice called to them and Wing came into view. "That was a good match, Zushi." he praised his student.

"Your shirt, master."

Wing then hurriedly tucked in his shirt and they all introduced themselves. The four of them got their winnings and went to the waiting room together. Gon and Zushi looked flabbergasted when Killua casually told them that he had spent 200 million Jenny in four years. Aala just laughed. "You would have had to spend nearly 137 thousand Jenny _a day_ to spend it all in that time frame, you know."

The two boys looked even more more impressed at Killua's feat. Before they could get any farther, three shadows fell over them and a familiar voice sneered, "Little kids like you shouldn't be in here. This isn't-"

And the voice died in its owner's throat when Aala turned around. To her surprise, the three Amori brothers were standing there, frozen in terror. She smiled wickedly at them and said sweetly, "Hello, little pups."

It was as if her voice broke a spell, and the brothers were suddenly scrambling to get out. Aala looked on at them in amusement, before she remembered that they knew who Killua really was. A small frown came across her face. They could sell them out to bounty hunters, and if they did, who knows what will happen.

Gon and Zushi looked confused when Aala stood up. "Excuse me, I'm just going to make sure those three nitwits don't blow our little secret." She then stood and followed them out to the hall where she heard them arguing.

"-your idea to go straighten those kids out! And it turned out to be that _Zoldyck_ with his attack dog!" The one in red said.

"Wait! I know what we can do! Bounty hunters would pay a small fortune for the exact location of a Zoldyck. Maybe this can be our way to get back at that bastard and his bitch!" That was the big one in yellow.

"Is that really such a good idea? After all, he still is a Zoldyck and he knows we know. He'll figure out that we rated him out and come for all of our heads!" By far the smartest, that was the one that was her target.

"No he won't, he'll be too busy running-"

Aala firmly cleared her throat and got their attention. "First off," she raised one finger in the air, "I am more like Killua's guard dog than attack dog. Second, you would do well to listen to the one in blue. If you turn Killua in, we'll just kill them all then come after you. See, Killua doesn't like when his friends are dragged into his family business. And if you call bounty hunters, they most definitely will. If you want to live, you'll leave us alone."

She narrowed her eyes. "Do you _really_ want to be on a Zoldyck's bad side? Seems like that could be detrimental to your health." This had the desired effect and the three brothers ran off. Satisfied that they were taken care of, Aala made her way back to the others. Killua and Zushi were already called for their matches and walked past her. She gave Zushi a pat on his shoulder as he went by, but it didn't seem to help much.

So, Aala sat with Gon in a room filled with other men. Gon asked, "What did you need to talk to those three about?"

"Oh, they just know who Killua is and I made sure that they didn't call any bounty hunters." They chatted about their experiences in the arena so far until Gon was called. Lucky, Aala was called soon after.

XXXXXXXX

The fights were dull then. They each advanced to the next floor and they went looking for a place to stay. All the while, Killua was questioning Aala on ren, but she was tight lipped on the matter. "You'll learn soon enough." Was her infuriating response, but Killua couldn't do anything about it.

There was one not too far from the arena that was reasonably priced. They agreed to get a single room with two beds to save on money. In order to secure the room they used the guise that they agreed on in the airship; Aala was the older sister traveling with and trying to support her two younger brothers after their parents were killed in a car accident. That sort of story would shut anyone up.

The room was standard but comfortable to stay in for two nights. There was a big window on the far wall with deep purple curtains and two queen sized beds. There was a nightstand between the two beds and a lamp resting on top of it. The bathroom was on the right and on the wall the door was on there was a kitchenette.

They unloaded their things and sat around talking for a bit. They got on the topic of her reactions in the arena and Aala explained that normally, yes the would have just ignored the taunts but she knew they would be staying for a while so she wanted to make it clear that she was _off limits._

Then there was the one question that shocked both Killua and Aala. "Hey, Aala, what's rape?"

If it was possible to choke on air, Aala definitely did then. Killua just stared at Gon open mouthed. The word "rape" and all the implications that it brought just sounded wrong coming from Gon's innocent and curious voice.

Once Aala composed herself she straightened and looked Gon dead in the eye. "Gon, I firmly believe that rape is one of the worst crimes anyone can ever commit. It's second only to murder in my books. And if you don't know exactly what it is, Gon, well, you don't need to know right now."

Still Gon had an odd look on his face. "Would it have hurt?"

Aala just nodded solemnly. "Yes. A lot." The mood had turned dark, and Aala was keen to lift it. She stood up and cheerfully announced, "That's enough of that. Why don't we go get something to eat? I don't know about you, but I'm hungry."

The two boys eagerly agreed and they went to find a good place to eat. It didn't take long, with Gon's nose. Aala felt a small prickle of annoyance when the waiter asked if they were all alone, but respond politely as she knew it was a fair question. The food there was good, but nothing to write home about.

On their way back, they passed a grocery store and decided to go in to buy snacks for the next day. Aala felt slightly guilty when she started to pile junk food and sweets in the cart, but shrugged it off. _Not like I'm going to be lazing around all day. I've earned this._ And she couldn't repress a smile when she saw Gon and Killua getting the same kind of things that she was.

They ended up carrying three large bags back to their room, one for each of them. They were chatting light heartedly when suddenly, Aala stopped in front of a store. The two boys looked back at her and tried to find anything that might've caught her interest, but didn't see anything.

Aala was biting her lip and starring in the store's window. She took a half step forward, but then firmly shook her head. "No. I shouldn't." and started marching down the street.

Gon and Killua were following slightly confused. "Aala," Killua called from behind her, "why did you stop back there?"

"I was just debating on wether or not to go into the store." Aala said, resisting a backwards glance.

"If you wanted to go in why didn't you?" asked Gon.

"Because I knew that if I did go in, I wouldn't leave empty handed."

Killua took another glance at the store and asked, "What would you want from there? There's nothing but books."

Aala turned sharply to them. "Exactly! Books!" Both boys looked at her with a blank expression. She sighed, "I told you I love to read right?" Both nodded. "Well, back home, I had a book on me or near me about 99% of the time. You should see my room; my sister calls it 'the mini library'. And she's completely right."

"How many books do you have?" Gon asked.

Tilting her head up and placing a finger on her chin, Aala thought about it. "I would guess... somewhere around 500. But it's probably more than that."*

That was the fifth surprise they got from Aala that day and Killua finally commented on that. "You're sure full of surprises today."

Aala walked ahead of them both and goodnaturedly stuck out her tongue. "You don't know everything about me yet."

XXXXXXXX

They spent the rest of the night talking mostly. Once, they turned on the t.v to see if they could find anything worth watching. There wasn't, so the t.v was abandoned.

It was about 10:38 pm when they decided to go to sleep. Gon and Killua settled down in the bed they decided to share. But not before Gon apologized for being a fitful sleeper. Killua just laughed and said it was all right because he was one too.

Aala chuckled at this and was happy that another fact about them was confirmed. She reached over and turned off the lamp and snuggled into her own blankets to get nice and comfy. She closed her eyes but found that sleep just wasn't there. Her mind kept on wondering to her conversations with them today, focusing especially on what she told them about the Chimera ant arc.

Rolling over on to her side, she pushed those thoughts from her head. _Oh, great. It's one of_ those _nights._ On these kinds of nights, Aala's mind just would not rest. She would lie there all night and never truly fall asleep, just spend the night suspended between the realms of wakefulness and dreams. _It's not that bad; at least I have time to think._

By the sound of Gon's breathing, he fell asleep in about five minutes. Killua followed after about an hour. Aala was still there and to keep the thoughts of that arc away, she thought of nen instead.

 _So, what would I be? According to Hisoka (shutters slightly using his information), Enhancers are simple and determined. Determined, yes, simple, no. Then Transmuters are whimsical liars. I hate lying, so no. Conjurers are high-strung. I'm usually anything but so another no. Specialists are independent and charismatic. I'm certainly independent and I guess I could be charismatic if I want, so maybe. Manipulators are logical and do things at their own pace. Sounds like me so another maybe. The last one is Emitters and they're impatient and non detailed-oriented. Definitely not me, so no._

Killua started shifting more in the other bed but Aala didn't notice while Gon just moved around him in his sleep. _Okay, so I'm probably a Specialist or a Manipulator. If I'm a specialist, what will my ability be? My physical abilities have been strengthened, yes, but all nen does that. If I'm a Manipulator, maybe I can manipulate my body or something?_

Aala's thoughts continued on that train of thought for the rest of the night. Half thought out ideas for nen abilities floating in and out of her head, shifting more towards dreamland than reality. Killua though, was shifting in the opposite direction.

Barely audible whimpers were leaving his lips, but no one was awake enough to hear them. Suddenly, Killua bolted upright in bed and was panting, trying to get his bearings. Almost immediately, he recognized the hotel room and the position he was in. Next to him, Gon stirred slightly and Killua remained frozen until he was sure he was totally asleep.

He let out a sigh of relief. He didn't wake them up. Killua fell back on the bed and tried to get back to sleep, but it wasn't an easy task with the echoes of his nightmare still ringing in his ears. His eyes fell on Aala and he had the sudden urge to go to her for some form of comfort.

And he almost did. Almost. The thing that stopped him was the memory of his first nightmare when he was three. _Killua, it's the middle of the night! Why did you feel the need to disturb me at this hour? A nightmare? Zoldycks don't have nightmares, so go back to sleep!_ His mother's harsh words stopped him from getting out of bed to get the comfort he craved.

Killua didn't think that Aala would react just as harshly as his mother did, but it was about one in the morning. She wouldn't snap at him like his mother did, but he can't imagine that anyone would be happy to be woken up so late.

So, Killua dealt with it in his own way as he always did. He got up and, as silently as he could, got some water using one of the glasses the hotel provided. The sound of the tap running was like a roaring waterfall in the quiet room and Killua winced at the volume. Quickly filling the cup then draining it.

He turned around to bed back to bed, only to freeze when he saw that Aala had proved herself up on her bed. But he quickly unfroze when he realized she was still half asleep. "Killua, what are you doing up?" she asked, sleep dripping from her words.

"I just got thirsty, so I got a drink of water." It wasn't a complete lie, but Killua still pelt a small prick of guilt for telling it.

"So, not a nightmare then?" That made Killua stiffen, only to quickly relax as a sleepy smile spread over Aala's face. "That's good. I was worried you would have one." She gave a tremendous yawn and, strangely, it made Killua yawn too.

Seeing the yawn, Aala smiled wider. "Looks like we both should get to sleep. See you tomorrow Killua." And like that, she fell back on her bed and was still. Killua stared at Aala laying on the bed and was puzzled at what she said before she told him to sleep.

Aala was worried that he had a nightmare? And she didn't sound unkind when she said it. Again the urge to wake her up again and confess that he did have a nightmare and to just let it out. And again something stopped him. This time, it was himself. He needed to be strong and keep it in. It was clear that there were some bad things coming their way judging from Aala's reaction on the airship.

She had enough on her plate already, with protecting them in the present and worrying about the future. This was his mess to deal with. Killua got into bed and fell inside a fitful sleep for the rest of the night.

* * *

Sorry again for updating late. I have no excuse this time besides school. All I will say is that I will do my best to keep the updates at a maximum of two weeks apart at least until the second semester. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Just so you know, only eight people have **voted** on the **poll** on my profile. There are currently 40 people following this story, so, yeah.

Don't forget to leave any comments and reviews in the box below! See you whenever the next chapter is written! :)

*Not kidding... If you're wondering, it was the part with the poison gas. The tears were equal parts anger at Snow and sadness for the old lady dying(sorry, don't remember her name). Most of the reason I'm excited for part two to come out is to see Snow get what's coming to him. And no, I didn't read the books... I would only warp the pages with my tears. The other series she wrote, "The Underland Chronicles", had me crying enough! :'(

*Again, not kidding. ;p


	16. Past and Prsent

GAAAHHH! I'm sooooo sorry! I'm beating myself up on the inside right now! You have no idea how much I've put even writing the author's note and the replies. Some of the blame can go to my current English homework, which is reading about Jews going through WWII and the Holocaust. That sure is a barrel of laughs. *says sadly and bitterly* It robs me of my will to write. Seriously, it's suffocating. -_-

I guess it's also because I was nervous at trying to get some of these scenes right, 'cus I guess they can be a little awkward. I'd feel like writing, then something would come up that would distract me and I just wouldn't write! This story is also quite personal to me, as I'm also using it to get over some personal problems I have. Nothing _too_ major, just the usual teenage things. Nothing that needs immediate attention…. _now_ at least…. Just a little of self therapy.

I could feel this chapter at my fingertips, but it was just a matter of downing _a lot_ of extremely sugary substances and a few caramel macchiatos from a nearby Starbucks(no kidding, those things are everywhere). So, thank you sugar and caffeine for getting me to get out this chapter! I can write little spurts after getting some of the magical substances in my system, then crashing and planning out my next spert. I hope I can do better with the next one.

Replies to Reviews:

SilverDewDrop - I felt exactly the same way with this chapter and if I thought it would help, I would ram my head into a wall. But it wouldn't help, just put a hole in the wall and possibly me in the hospital, delaying this update further. Anywho, with this I'm most likely going to at least start typing out another story to work on while stuck on this. Glad you liked the last chapter. :)

The last Nightwalker - Yeah, the people they will fight won't really be mentioned until the 200th floor, 'cus that's when they actually become a challenge. Maybe one or two. :p I do intend for Aala to get a crack at those three and some others I will come up with for some reasons of my own. And thanks for reminding me to do something like Gon and Killua reflecting on the situation alone and for just the OCs to interact. The former will be in this chapter (though, admittedly not much but there will be more), while the latter will be in the next. And thank you as always for leaving reviews so frequently. :D By the way, sorry times 1000 for taking so long with the last few reviews. Just….. life. -_- The missing reviews should be up within 24 hours of posting this.

Isella of the wolf tribe - Oh, there was a lot, and I mean A LOT of thought in this last chapter. There will probably be just as much, if not more, in this one. Sorry for the extremely late update.

Nispedana - (Ch.7) Glad you liked my length, I did too. I thought that it would be nice to lighten the mood slightly with that joke, one I knew I was going to write from the get go. So glad you thought the angst was written well! (Ch.8) It was shorter, but I felt like it was necessary. After all, watching a death on a screen is one thing, but having it done right in front of you, is another. The comparison of worlds was another thing that I knew I was at least going to touch on from the start. I mean, with a person as curios as Gon, it's inevitable and will be brought up at many places in the story. (Ch.9) Glad you like the world transfer thing! I was really nervous about that one. (Ch.10) Yay! Another point in the good column. For me, I'm always at a maximum want to hug Gon. He's so adorable!

The Anime Fan - The sandwich was good! Glad this brings your dreams a little closer to reality. I do know the idea isn't very original, this story started out as a way to polish and practice my writing. If you think about it like that, it's a win win. ^^ Gald even those parts seem well placed. And as for grammar and spelling, let's just say if it weren't for spell check there would be a lot more. So glad you share my parts that I'm looking forward to writing and that you think my character acts like a real person!

MidoriEmerald13 - The birthday alarms are convenient. Oh, and with those men, I just figured that in a place like that almost every man there would be like that. And that any women there would be very few.

avatheotaku - At that point, yes. If that is about what it think it is about, than he was just imitating her position to the best of his ability.

Now, on with chapter 16! (Sorry again for the ridiculously long wait)

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Aala came to briefly and saw the time was now 7:18. Deciding that it was a good time to wake up, (certainly better than 5:21, the last time she woke) she sat herself up in bed and quietly stretched. Seeing the empty glass on the counter by the sink, Aala realized that the talk with Killua that night wasn't just a hazy half-dream.

A small frown came across her face. Killua had told her that he only got up for a drink of water, but Aala had her doubts. He could have easily lied about not having a nightmare. But, her memories of the shirt exchange were hazy at best so there was no way for her to be sure based solely on that. _I'll just have to keep an eye on him tonight in case it happens again._

With that, she let her eyes drift over to the other bed where the two boys were both tangled in the blankets and her heart warmed at the sight. Neither of them were even close to the positions they were in when they went to bed. Killua was lying with his head near the lower right corner of the bead with one arm dangling off and Gon lying sideways across the bed with one leg resting on Killua's lower back.

It was a heartwarming sight, seeing the two boys so close together, despite the fact that they had both known each other for not even three months, and with about three weeks of that time being spent separated. _It's probably a combination of Gon's amazingly friendly personality and Killua just wanting a friend._

There was a small smile present as she just stared at the boys like her brothers sleeping so peacefully near each other. Ala was knocked out of the trance she was unaware she fell into when Gon shifted again in his sleep so he was now resting both legs on Killua. In reaction, Killua turned and pushed Gon off of him causing the raven haired boy to fall of the bed on to the floor.

At first, Aala thought that Gon was going to wake up, so she went over to help him up. But, surprisingly, Gon just grumbled and turned over, snuggling the pillow that came over with him. Not being able the resist such an adorable sight, Aala quickly rushed over to where her iPad was and snapped a few pictures before she went of to get herself ready for the day.

XXXXXXXX

Aala looked at the diverse sea of people, and on a whim, began to scan them. Their hair, their clothes, their face, their eyes, and the way they moved and spoke. She was suddenly reminded of something that her English teacher once told the class, something that was always at the back of her mind when away from home. What she was doing was similar enough to make her chuckle and voice her thought to Gon and Killua. "This is kinda like what my English teacher told me once."

This was after all three had fought and won their matches in the 60th floor division and were waiting for their second matches to be called in the 70's. The conversation had lapsed into a comfortable silence, but the statement seemingly out of the blue restarted it. "What do you mean?" asked a curious Gon.

"A quote. We were reading a book called "Of Mice and Men" in class and our teacher told us to think about a quote from the author, John Steinbeck. It read; 'I wonder how many people I've looked at all my life and never seen'. That really struck a chord with me and I've always carried it around in my back pocket since then." Again, Aala mused about it. "What do you two think about it?"

Killua merely shook his head. "Doesn't make sense to me. How can you look at someone without seeing them?"

Aala hummed and nodded. "That's what I thought too, until my teacher pointed out the differences between the two words. When she said that, it all clicked for me."

A light went off in Gon's head then. "So, there are different impressions for each word?"

"Exactly. Do you know what the differences are?"

Killua looked just as dumbfounded as when she first said the quote while Gon looked more thoughtful. As the two boys sat, it suddenly struck Aala at how often their expressions were reversed. When smoke started to come out if Gon's ears, she stopped him. "Okay, okay, don't fry your brain over this. Let me give you an example. Compare looking at a group of people vs. looking at someone you know."

Gon still looked like he was thinking, but the light flickered on inside Killua's head then. "If you just look at someone, that's all you do, look. But if you _see_ someone, then you actually focus on them and actually notice them, rather than just noticing that someone is there."

Aala nodded. Gon then asked, "Why does that remind you of what your teacher said?"

She hummed lightly in the back of her throat and replied, "We're just here sitting looking at the people passing by. I got bored so I started to really look at them, their hair, their clothes, their faces. Then I realized that there is only so much I can see about a person just by appearances." Aala's eyes glazed over slightly as she continued. "It also makes me think about the way I see the world and the people in it." She chuckled lightly at that.

"What do you mean?"

"Before my parents got divorced, I thought I could take everything the world could throw at me, purely because I could see things coming in my books or shows. Nothing took me by surprise. That arrogant thought was wiped out when the divorce completely blindsided me, and then the realization that all the signed were right in front of me. Then after thinking about it some, I came to see that life can be like a maze." Aala had adopted a far off look in her eyes.

Gon turned to her in confusion. "A maze?"

Aala chuckled. "It's not a perfect analogy, but it fits in many ways. When you actually go through a maze, your mostly guessing and backtracking and trying to figure out how to get clear. That's like the life you live now, you're really just trying to find what you want to do with your life and which paths you want to take. But, when I was watching or reading something, I saw that I was looking at someone's life from above. As such, I could usually see more than what that person could see and thus could see things coming that they did not."

Killua gave her a sideways glance, "What are you trying to say exactly? What does that have to do with that quote?"

"It relates because everyone in this room is going through a 'maze' of their own. When you get to know a person, or start to 'see' them, you can also get a glimpse of their own internal 'maze'. And I'm trying to say that everyone has their own problems and dreams. I guess what I'm trying to say…. What it all boils down to… is that life is hopelessly complicated. So much so, I'm having difficulty putting these thoughts into words." Aala sighed contentedly as she finished, eyes still glazed over making it clear that her thoughts still held her captive. Gon's and Killua's own thoughts captured them as well, trying to process what the older girl had said.

Suddenly, as if someone had clapped their hands in front of her face, Aala reeled back and looked around with startled eyes until she looked at the two boys and laughed cheerfully.

Both of them were snapped out of their own thoughts to look at her curiously. Aala stopped laughing after a moment and said to them, "Sorry if that was weird. You must find it at least the slightest bit unusual for someone you haven't even known for three months to be spilling her innermost thoughts to you."

"Now, no, it's alright! I'm happy that you can be so open with us." Gon replied happily.

Again Aala laughed, "Well it's a little weird for me. The only other person I've been able to open up to about these things that freely is my little sister." She eyed both of them now. "Well I guess it isn't that weird considering both of you are like brothers to me and I feel like I've known you for years."

No one said anything for a while before Aala's number was called. She sprang up from her seat and said, "That's me. I'll be waiting on the next floor. Good luck!"

Gon and Killua followed her with their eyes until she rounded a corner and was out of sight. Both boys stayed in silence until Killua broke it. "She has a point. That was a little weird."

"No it wasn't." Gon snapped his head towards his friend. "It was good that she was able to talk to us so freely. It shows she trusts us!"

"That's not what I meant." Gon looked at him curiously. "It's her change of mood. One minute she's solem, and the next she's laughing."

Gon seemed to think about it for a moment before he answered, "She did tell us just last night that we didn't know everything about her. That's probably just how she is." Gon's number was called next so he cheerfully wished Killua luck and went to his own fight.

Leaving Killua alone with his own thoughts. He had seen Aala's mood change for himself a few times before on Zevil Island. He would wake up to find her staring off into space with a sad look on her face, but as soon as she saw him awake she would be all smiles. Other times they would be talking happily then suddenly she would get a far off look in her eyes and Killua would have to wave his hand in front of her face to get her to snap out of it.

Originally, Killua had just put it down to homesickness and the stress of keeping her secret from him, but neither of those things affected her change of mood just now. He thought about Gon's statement that's just the way she was and he agreed with it. But just what made her like that? There seemed to be a whole nother side of her personality that was just beginning to show.

When she was telling off all the men yesterday, Aala had put up a persona that Killua had previously thought she didn't have. Killua was good at pinning down a person's personality by observation. If that was all he went off the peg down Aala's personality, than he would be left with a girl who was mostly introverted. A person who would never initiate a conversation with someone she didn't know outside of necessity and rarely doing so with people she _did_ know. Aala also seemed like the kind of person who would wear their heart on their sleeve, emotions and opinions fully on display for all to see. And, correspondingly, cared more about other people than she did herself.

At least, that's what the bulk of her actions gave off. Killua had seen darker parts of her personality a few times before. On Zevil Island and during his fight with Illumi. Both were shifts in her personality, ones that were mostly hidden away during normal situations. He wasn't sure how to classify the change he saw just know, though. Instead of any shift into dark, it was more like a shift into neutral, neither positive, nor negative.

All of this seemed horribly complicated, especially when compared to a personality as simple as Gon's. And it wasn't just that Aala seemed to have so many diferent sides to her, no that was normal, it was the wide range she seemed to have. Most of the time she was so happy and friendly, much like Gon was, but in those brief instances of of darkness, it was almost like she was toying with the people who weren't in her favor like dolls.

Was it possible for someone to have such a wide range for their personality to shift through and still be stable? In a way, it almost reminded Killua of himself. He pondered the question until his own number was called.

XXXXXXXX

When they finished off their opponents and regrouped, the threesome made their way back to their hotel room. No mention of the conversation between fights was made. Instead, the three focused on going somewhere to eat that was better than the night before. Once there, they idly compared the 'opponents' each of them faced that day and the reactions of the crowd when they wiped the floor with them without seeming to try. Killua tried and failed to slyly get some answers about ren out of Aala, but all questions were given the exact same answers as before.

It was just about 6pm when they got back to their hotel room and the three of them were waiting for the promised visit of Lux and Minty. They didn't have to wait long, within half an hour, there was a knock at the door. Aala was the one who got up to greet the new arrivals and was met with a surprise.

Both Lux and Minty were there, but there was also a tall boy with night black hair, paler eyes than seemed humanly possible, and an aura of extreme calm and coldness. There was also a girl on the shorter side with shockingly red hair, vivid blue eyes, and a stance that made it clear that she was all business. Both were carrying bags. But despite the new pair's unapproachable vibes, they stood close to one another, seemingly wanting to shield the other from any harm that would come their way.

After getting over the momentary shock of seeing the new faces, Aals put on a warm smile. "Come on in, we've been waiting for you." she lead the four of them into the room and as he passed, Lux gave a small smile and wave. After the short exchange, Aala took her seat on the bed with Gon and Killua. Gon was happy at the prospect of meeting the new people, while Killua eyed them suspiciously.

The brother and sister pair sat down on the bed facing the the three almost siblings while the two newcomers opted to sit on a couple of chairs in the room, still close together. Clearing her throat, Minty broke the momentary silence, "Aala, Gon, Killua, this is Ryker and Caden. Ryker, Caden, these are the people we told you about, Aala, Gon, and Killua." Both parties gave a nod of acknowledgement to each other.

"You two are the ones who are in charge of the defence from the divers, right?" The two nodded. "So, are you here to go over some tactics we're going to employ?"

Ryker, the speedster boy if Aala remembered correctly, was the one to answer. "Mainly, yes. Both Caden and I have prepared many plans that we could use to counter many possible moves the divers could make. We need to make sure that you three are at the very least familiar with each one to insure that each plan can be executed as smoothly as possible." Ryker's voice was surprisingly raspy, as if his vocal cords were damaged. But, with all the experiments he went through, that was entirely possible.

Caden also added to the answer, "Also this visit is a way for us to get to know each other, and you yourself have said that you would rather be friends than just allies." The girl stated this in the same tone of voice as someone reading off a list of statistics. "Even so, that is not strictly necessary. We only need to trust each other." And like with Ryker's voice, Caden's was lacking something, as if she had to force her voice to rise to the rather weak strength that it was at.

Aala was unsure of how to proceed; it was true that she'd rather be friends with them rather than just be allies, but it seemed like neither of them had any real interest in becoming friends. She was aware of the fact that their two other friends were killed by the divers' experiments, so she didn't want to push them too far.

While both Aala and Gon were at a loss of what to say, Killua took the initiative. "So, do you both know who we are?"

"We have not seen every episode, but we know enough about each of you." Ryker was the one answering. "For example, we know that you, Killua, were born and raised to be a professional assassin and have taken who knows how many lives. Gon comes from Whale Island, a small fishing outpost and is looking for his father who abandoned him when he was a baby. And for Aala, her parents separated three years ago but were only officially divorced a few months ago and currently her parents are not on speaking terms." Just like Caden, Ryker's tone was was that of someone who was simply reading from a list rather than telling about a person's life.

"Since you seem to know a bit about our personal lives, maybe you should tell us about yours. Like why did you decide to join the otters rather than going home?" Killua shot back with a certain amount of venom.

"Killua!" Aala knew that the jab about him taking who knows how many lives was uncalled for, but so was asking about what was without a doubt the worst thing that ever happened to them. She turned to the two stony faced otters. "You don't have to answer if-"

"No, we will answer the question." Caden's voice was firmer than it was before, but still shaky. Ryker placed a hand on her shoulder and asked an unspoken question and was answered with a look between the two. "The reason why we stayed is a mixture of a desire for revenge and an inability to face the ones we left behind. Not without the divers' whole operation reduced to rubble, at least."

Caden then coughed lightly and Ryker asked what was presumably the same question and got the same answer with another look. "How the hell could we go back and tell Matt's mother and little brother that we saw him crushed to death right in front of us, and we couldn't do anything but scream. Or tell Ryker's parents that when Tara, their little girl, fell out of the sky, the only thing we could do was beg for someone to catch her?" This was the most emotion Caden had shown since coming, voice filled to the brim with bitterness and grief. "How could we _possibly_ go back and tell them that we ran away without avenging their lives?"

There were tears in both of their eyes now as Ryker took over for Caden, whose throat was obviously hurting now, if the way she was rubbing it was any indication. "Tara was my twin sister and Matt was like the glue holding our group together. Matt was the first one taken, then the three of us went out to search for him the next day. they got Caden next, then Tara and me."

Ryker understandably took a moment to compose himself while his audience was looking at him with wide eyes. Lux and Minty knew all this of course, but were shocked that the two of them were sharing their story. Both Gon and Aala were listening in open mouthed shock that the two of them had to watch their friends die right in front of them. Aala's heart thumped painfully for Ryker in particular because she couldn't imagine not being able to do anything while her own little sister died right in front of her. Killua was simply listening to them. If they knew enough about them, it was only fair that they should know about them.

"The four of us were friends since we were in kindergarten. We were all instant best friends from the first day of school and endured a lot together. Like that time in the third grade that Caden had missed school for three days in a row, but when we went to her house her father wouldn't let us see her. This was about the time that our powers had started to come out and the school sent a letter to every parent once their child's power came out. The week before, Caden's invulnerability as discovered when she wasn't hurt from falling off the jungle jim."

Now Caden told her part, "My father never really loved me, he always thought that I killed my mother because she died in childbirth. He did love my mother though, so that's why he never remarried and why he kept me, but he was still bitter. It didn't help that I was a girl, too. Near total invulnerability runs on my father's side of the family, but for some reason it skipped over him. When he got the letter that I had inherited it, such a rare ability, he was furious that a girl had gotten the near perfect power while he had been skipped over. It was then that he finally snapped, and tried to find a way to kill me, despite my power. That's why my voice is so messed up; he forced acid down my throat, though I just barfed it up."

Ryker took over again, "On the night of the third day, when her father would not let us in, we sneaked in to the back yard. Matt had discovered his super strength, so we managed to break in when he was out and rescue Caden from the basement. by the next day, Caden's father was in prison and Matt's family had taken her in. And that's not all we went through. There was also the time when Matt went missing with his father on a camping trip and that time Tara was kidnapped.

"Matt's dad died in a mudslide and Matt himself was trapped by the mudslide in a cave. we found him just in time. It did take some time for Matt to get over the trauma and go back to his usual happy self, even longer for his family to get back to a kind of normal as well. The people who kidnapped Tara turned out to be part of a human trafficking ring that we somehow managed to track right before we were taken. That's why we were captures so easily. We thought that we were dealing with the same people as just a couple of months before, so our actions were all too easy to predict."

By this time Lux and Minty were just listening sadly to the tail that they knew all too well. Aala had a hand over her mouth in horror and Gon was speechless from shock. Killua, though, was taking all this in silently. After a few deep breaths, Caden once again took over for her friend. "Of course we resisted when we were first brought in, but it didn't last long. Whenever one of us were to 'misbehave' another one of us would be punished for it. Their way to ensure that we would give us our all was particularly twisted. All four of us were brought in when they wanted to test one of us; they threatened to hurt the other three if the one being tested did not give it his all. That's how Matt and Tara were killed.

"Matt died when they added too much weight and Matt couldn't take it, but he didn't say anything because he didn't want any of us to be hurt. The three of us were standing not even ten feet away from him when we started to see him buckle and the three of us screamed at them to stop adding weight but they refused abcause they were getting 'the best readings' they had gotten from Matt." Both of them gave a bitter laugh and the tears that were pooling in their eyes finally started to fall. "The only thing they did after Matt was pronounced dead, was to send the remaining three of us back to our room and send some otters to comfort us."

Lux cleared his throat then, "It was actually me and Minty who were sent to comfort them." After a nod that they could take over, they completed their story for them. "The only thing that we could tell them that would be any sort of comfort was that the two of us, the oldest in our group of otters and therefore the leaders, had been in contact with other leaders of other groups and were working on an escape plan once the divers' attentions were fixed elsewhere."

Minty was next, "Tara died in a similar way; they made her fly too high and she passed out from lack of oxygen. That was when all the information was collected to make the new batches of Power Juice and we otters were finally able to coordinate our escape. When we got a portal running, we offered Ryker and Caden the chance to go home, but they refused and joined us instead."

There was silence for a while, then Caden said, "Does that answer your question Killua Zoldyck?" There was only a nod from the named boy, not sure if he really wanted them to answer the question in the first place.

Aala cleared her throat to catch their attention. "Not that I don't appreciate the openness, but why would you share something that personal so soon? I know I still have some skeletons in my closet that I haven't shared yet."

"It was not for completely selfless reasons. One other thing that we know about Gon is that know he knows just how awful the divers are, and what they do, from two people who were dragged into this, he will not stop until they are brought down." Ryker had a small smirk on his face as he said that. "It also guarantees that all of you will try your absolute best to stick to the plans we have so carefully laid out."

They all looked at Gon then and could see the barely contained anger burning deep inside his eyes. No one would doubt what Ryker had said. From then on, it was all business, Ryker's and Caden's show of emotions forgotten except the redness around their eyes..

A table was brought over and papers from the bags the two had brought were laid out, a big map of the city becoming a temporary table cover with multiple pieces set on the map as if it were a game board. The next few hours were spent familiarizing themselves with the plans and procedures that were presented before them. When all of the plans were laid out, Caden and Ryker packed up all of their things and rather stiffly wished them a good night and left without another word.

This left the remaining five people with and awkward silence. Finally, Minty said, "I'm sorry if they seemed cold, but they really are good people once they warm up to you. They just have a lot on their plates, quite understandably. I wish you luck in the arena, not that you'll need it." And with a kind smile, Minty left through the open door.

Lux got up to leave but paused after a few steps. "Hey, Aala, there are a few things I would like to talk to you about alone. Do you think you could meet me after your fights tomorrow?" Lux had his back to the three of them, a furious blush on his face. The poor boy had been turning over how to ask Aala out on a not-quite-date since that morning and he finally decided to be blunt.

Aala blinked in surprise and answered without really thinking, "Of course."

A wide grin spreading across his face, Lux said, "Great! I'll be waiting in the lobby on the first floor."

Killua didn't miss the way Lux's eyes seemed to light up when Aala said 'yes' or the way Aala fingered the bracelet on her right wrist. He was sure she didn't have the bracelet during the Hunter exam. But, he decided to hold his tongue. For now.

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AAAHHHHHH! FINALLY! I was able to get my butt in gear and get out this chapter! This has been bugging me since HALLOWEEN! I'm sorry if some things seem a little disjointed or anything. At the beginning I had a completely different scene and that was what stumped me for the longest time. How do I put this without looking like a weirdo? How do I phrase this without sounding retarded? How can I put this to convey the feelings I want?

The reason I still tried to put that in for so long is because it's a kind of scene that I feel NEEDS to be in the story, but at that point in time, it just wasn't working, so I finally cut it out and replaced it. I still want to put it in, but just in a later chapter, definitely before they go back to Whale Island. If I can't make it work by then, I'll probably just scrap it entirely.

And as for the next chapter, I SWEAR THAT IF IT ISN'T UP BEFORE JANUARY 5TH, I _**WILL**_ RUN HEAD FIRST INTO THE WALL! Some good news is that while I was tripped up on that one scene, I have maybe 1000 words of the next chapter already written out on paper, so that will help with the updating speed. I will apologize again for the long wait, and if there is anything wrong with this chapter please tell me. I have no idea where my head has been for these past months, I wanted this to be posted before Thanksgiving… it's almost Christmas….

Just as a reminder as you probably forgot, the poll on my profile is still open, so vote if you haven't. I hope you liked this chapter. As always, please take some time to leave a review. They will probably help me update faster.

Oh, and if you celebrate Christmas; MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL! ^^


	17. Authors Note: A VERY sincere appology

To my loyal readers, I would like to give a formal apology for this not being an update. It's more of an explanation…. Or a lame excuse…. so sorry. My mind has been invaded and captured by things that I, correct me if I'm wrong, think are what are called plot bunnies. Except a lot more clingy and suffocating. *I think plot bunnies are a story idea and the desire to fanfics of the same fandom*

Every time I try to escape the circle they made for me (aka, read/write for another fandom), they attack! I'm not able to focus on the story I want to read or write, unless it's for that other fandom. Even books and watching anime. I know now that I let myself be captured, but they were just so fluffy and adorable and oh so heartwarming that I welcomed them into my mind and nurtured them, giving them lots and lots AND LOTS of attention in my spare time.

At first it just started out as them wanting me to play (work on that particular story). But as the "play" went on, the bunnies started to merge together (one-shot ideas becoming interwoven into a larger story like I love to do). I didn't think it was that bad, I had always intended to properly care for the ones that got big enough (the number is currently at 6). With less of them, it made me think that they would be more manageable but, …. I was so wrong.

The bigger they got, the more they overpowered me and demanded my attention! The thing is that all the bunnies of one fandom ban together so they don't compete with each other, just the other bunnies for other fandoms. And they only compete when they don't feel well cared enough.

I've got six big bunnies in this particular fandom, three of them being almost as big as the bunny for this story (that means a planned sequel. Surprise). There are other bunnies in the HXH pen here, but the only other ones of size besides this one are still smaller than the other than the others, and there's only two of them!

My two biggest pens now are the ones for HXH and the other fandom I mentioned, all others are obsolete. I'm remembering now how this story came to be in the first place, it was about the size of the biggest bunny in the other pen…. Which is ironically the newest. -_- It kept on pestering me and pestering me until it was being cared for(written)! As soon as it started being written, it allowed me to get interested in the other fandom…. which led to this…. What am I doing.

Oh… oh god, I just read over what I typed and I sounded like I was high on something…. or drunk…. or both…. I'm not, I swear! That stuff is poison! If I wanted to kill myself there are less painful ways to do it! O~O Holy crap I just made it worse didn't I? I'm just going to get to my point now…. ehehehehe…. (Is this still the good kind of crazy or should I seek help? I'm actually half serious here…. ^^')

Anyways, I have so many new spawning bunnies everyday, but the vast majority of them are for the other fandom I love to read, Yu-Gi-Oh. And if any of you that it's just a card game because you haven't seen it, your DEAD WRONG. Same goes if you think it's just for kids. Read the manga or watch the English sub anime (specifically the sub, the dub is admittedly of a lower quality). Then see if you still hold the same view point. Oh, and this isn't craziness, it's protectiveness for the anime I've been familiar with since I was three and rediscovered and fell in love with nine years later.

Shit, I just now looked over and realized just how much I typed, this was only supposed to be a brief apology and explanation. I've still got a few short paragraphs left. When I started, this note was supposed to be four paragraphs maximum. Why do the bunnies leave me alone for this? T-T I'll apologize again for my rambling.

Back to the point… The reason I can't write as well for this story(bunny) is because when I do, there are so many others clamoring for my attention and the story I'm trying to write isn't doing much to get my attention back to it. Don't take me the wrong way, I still love Gon, Killua, and the rest to death, but I can't focus on them through the three giant and three big bunnies right in my face!

It's also the fact that I love the other fandom that these bunnies are from (Yu-Gi-Oh) to death just as much as Hunter X Hunter. If Gon and Killua are like little brothers to me, Yugi and Yami (main characters of other anime) are the older brothers that I've known since I was a toddler, and re discovered 4 years ago. One of my clearest memories of my childhood was begging my grandma who was babysitting my sister and I to let me stay up for just half an hour more so I could finish watching another episode of Yu-Gi-Oh which was airing. I even know the episode was from season one.

So, what this ridiculously long author's note is supposed to say, is that I'm taking a break from writing this story to devote my attention to appeasing the other one that is on my mind. I probably should have started writing it sooner, to prevent this sort of clog in my mind, but now I have to deal with the consequences.

If any of you are interested, the Yu-Gi-Oh fic that I'm currently writing will be called "All For A Slave" and is, warning, a Puzzleshipping story. For those of you that don't know, it's yaoi. In fact, all of the bunnies for that fandom are either Puzzleshipping or Blindshipping(this is yaoi to). In fact, all but three of my favorite stories for this fandom are either one of those shippings. The third kind of shipping is Mobium, but I consider all three virtually the same thing. (If you have seen/read Yu-Gi-Oh, that will make sense. I hope.) First chapter will be up by Tuesday.

And if this bores you, sorry. I hope I haven't put you off my story with this. Man, know that I read over why I just type(I just type what comes to mind then clean up the grammar), I really do tend to go on don't I? Well, if you read all that, thanks for "listening" ^^ If not, well thanks for picking out the important stuff.

Last thing, I _**WILL**_ post _**SOMETHING**_ by March 26, even if it's just those thousand words I hand wrote before. If you were wondering, yes I did ram my head into the wall when I didn't post on the fifth. Multiple times. So if none of the heartfelt words I typed for an explanation of my inactivity don't make you feel better, maybe my pain will. Further news on 3/26 _**THE ABSOLUTE LATEST!**_

Seriously, WTF, how did a little note turn into this? Where are the bunnies know? Wait, I know, they're behaving for once so I can work on them sooner. Am I the only who has been captured by these bunnies before? Please, I need to know. Wish you all well until then! Bye! :D

*P.S. I've been meaning to ask and it just struck me know, but how exactly do you do the little faces, the ones like a smiley face? I only know half of what I remember people doing, and I would like to know more. Thank you.

**P.P.S This was all the product of typing on my iPad at two to three in the morning, then posting it when I woke up. ^^ Sleep deprivation! And a waste of 20% of my battery!


	18. Nightmares and Nighttime Talks

Well, here's the chapter. Lots of things have been going on with me, but I'm fine for the most part. Little banged up and bruised, but hey, that's life!

Replies to Reviews:

SilverDewDrop - I would like to thank you for all the support you've given me. :) I hope i can get some sort of schedule down and give you a proper chapter soon. Thank you for being there, and good luck with your own stories!

The last Nightwalker - My greatest thanks go out to you my friend, both for the advice and for even reviewing for my other story! I'm sure I'll be getting to yours soon! Hope this isnt the crap i fear it is! ^^'

MidoriEmerald13 - Yep! Everyone has _something_ they want to hide ;)

Isella of the wolf tribe - Thanks for the faces, hope you enjoy!

Neonkoi - Aww, thank you for the complements. I'm sorry I had to keep you waiting so long, especially just after you found the story. I hope you can enjoy what comes next!

Hannibal Not the Cannibal - Thanks for being willing to wait. Hopefully i can get something deacent out soon.

BizzyLizy - Thanks! Good luck with your story!

So, here's the next chapter, chapter 17! Hope you like it. :)

* * *

After the four otters left, it was a simple routine to prepare themselves for bed. They each took a turn in the shower and brushed their teeth. It was then that Aala noticed that they were running out of clean clothes. They had left Kukuroo mountain with all clean clothes but each of them had only a few changes in clothes each. There was a laundromat a few blocks away from the arena, so Aala decided to do the laundry after they were assigned rooms the next day and her meeting with Lux.

While they were brushing their teeth, Gon asked, "Hey, Aala, what does 'skeletons in the closet' mean exactly?"

The questioned girl looked at the boy and simply explained, "The term refers to a secret or secrets that someone wants to hide badly, ones that would have negative consequences if they were to get out. The severity of each 'skeleton' could vary from murdering someone, to an affair, to even something as trivial as wetting the bed or something embarrassing like that."

"Where do your 'skeletons' fall on that chart?"

Aala looked at Killua who had chimed in and gave a snort of laughter. "Well, I can tell you that I've never killed anyone or betrayed someone. They're on the lighter end of the scale, but, still, it took both my sister and my cousin on a long car trip to drag those out of me."

Gon looked like he was prepared to do just that, but Aala put up a hand to prevent him. "No need for that. They will undoubtedly be revealed as soon as shit hits the fan."

"'Shit hits the fan'...?" Gon tilted his head curiously.

"When things get out of control, presumably when the first attack comes." Aala responded with a laugh.

They finished brushing their teeth and started packing what little they had away for the next day. Both Gon and Killua looked on in amusement as Aala triple checked everything, even when they told her that everything was accounted for.

She shrugged when they teased her. "I can't help it. Whenever I leave a room that I'm meant to stay in temporarily, especially hotels, I always feel like I'm forgetting something. _Always._ It's damned annoying."

As they got into bed, Aala remembered the previous night's events. She looked at the clock and saw it was roughly 10:30. _I can function just fine with four hours of sleep, so if I set an alarm for 8, that means I can stay up till 4. If Killua has another nightmare, he'll need comfort._

With that plan in mind, Aala laid down and feigned sleep until the other two had fallen asleep. Once they had, Aala pulled out her iPad, set the alarm, then played some pre download games to keep herself up. Every so often, she would glance over at the other bed, to make sure everything was alright.

It wasn't until a few minutes past one in the morning that any movements that Killua made in his sleep became more sudden than before. Instantly, Killua had Aala's full attention. When barely audible sounds made their way past his lips, she threw her device to the side and went to kneel next to Killua after turning on the lamp.

And that is what Killua woke up to. He bolted upright, expecting to wake in a dark room, instead of the faintly lit room with Aala next to him. "A-Aala, w-what-"

Killua was interrupted by a warm hand on his shoulder and concerned eyes brown looking into his own blue ones. "Are you okay?" she questioned softly.

"Yeah, I-I'm fine, but what are you still doing up?"

"I was looking out for you." Seeing the boy's surprised face, Aala went on, "I know you lied to me last night. You had a nightmare, didn't you?"

Killua looked away and nodded. "St-still, why did you stay up? Just because I had a nightmare last night?"

"Ever since I realized this was reality, I knew that you would probably be having nightmares." She chuckled softly. "I actually really wanted to be wrong about that."

He hugged his knees to his chest and whispered, "So? It's just a nightmare."

Surprising Killua, Aala grabbed his shoulders and made him look at her. "No it isn't Killua. Not with you. I know that your nightmares can't be and aren't 'just nightmares'." She cupped his cheek with her right hand. "I also knew that if you didn't come to me last night, I knew you wouldn't come to me tonight if you had another nightmare."

Surprising himself, Killua leaned into her touch and stuttered, "It-It's just that…"

When he didn't go on, Aala asked imploringly, "What is it? Don't you trust me enough to come to me for comfort? Know that you are always welcome to do so. Please Killua." There were small tears in the corners of her eyes now.

"No, that's not it. I-I just thought that you would think I should be able to get over it on my own." Killua had his own small tears in his eyes now.

Aala just hugged the boy, "Oh, Killua. I think it's easy to forget in all this madness that you're just a kid. You're only _12 years old._ You shouldn't have to think like that. I remember when I had a nightmare when I was 13, I still ran to my mother." Her throat tightened and she knew she would regret asking the question, but she still got out, "Didn't your mother ever do anything for you?"

Just as she expected, Killua shook his head. "The one time I did, she yelled at me to go back to sleep." He felt Aala's arms tighten around him.

"Yelled at you? _Yelled at you?"_ Killua looked up and saw that Aala's jaw was set and anger blazed deep in her eyes. "That women doesn't deserve to be called a mother." she growled. "Mothers aren't supposed to yell at their child after they have a nightmare."

"What are mothers supposed to do?" Killua asked party in curiosity and partly hoping that Aala would provide such care for him.

Aala looked down at the boy in her arms and cuddled him closer, knowing he was starved of any sort of maternal affection. In that case, she was more than happy to provide it. "Mothers are supposed to lay down with you, hug you, comfort you, and sing you a lullaby to help you get back to sleep and to tell you that everything is okay."

Then came the question that absolutely broke her heart. "Aala, what's a lullaby?"

She looked down at him in pure shock. "You mean to tell me that bitch never even-" Aala had to break off there. Of course she knew that it was unlikely that Killua would be sung any when he was growing up, but to not even know what it is? It just made Aala detest the Zoldyck family even more.

"Well, a lullaby is a song sung when trying to calm someone down enough to got to sleep and comfort them, usually from a _mother to her child_." Her anger got the better of her at the end and every ounce of bitterness she felt went into those last four words.

Aala's tears slipped down her face as she saw Killua merely nod his head at the information. "H-here, I'll show you." She climbed into bed next to him, and Killua accepted her.

On instinct, Aala's body wrapped around Killua's smaller form protectively and he snuggled close to her. She began to rub his back in soothing circles and sang the first lullaby that came to mind:

"Come stop your crying

It will be alright

Just take my hand

Hold it tight

I will protect you

from all around you

I will be here

Don't you cry

For one so small,

You seem so strong

My arms will hold you,

Keep you safe and warm

This bond between us

Can't be broken

I will be here

Don't you cry

'Cause you'll be in my heart

Yes, you'll be in my heart

From this day on

Now and forevermore

You'll be in my heart

No matter what they say

You'll be here in my heart

Always"

As she sung, Killua's own tears began to fall. He felt every ounce of love Aala felt for him in those words. He clung to her, mentally taken back to that sacred three year old, searching for comfort and affection, finally getting it after so many years.

As she sung, Aala realized how perfect the song was for this situation. It had always made her tear up when she heard Kala sing the song to baby Tarzan, making a promise to always be there for him. Now Aala was making that same promise to Killua, who might as well have been her baby brother.

Even after Killua fell asleep, Aala continued singing.

* * *

Ahhh, just reading over that, the feels. I was tearing up as I typed it. I hope it as good. I hope that I can get a real chapter posted some time in the near future. But, man, it's just so satisfying to finally get this scene out. It was one of the first I ever thought up for this story and I have to say, I'm proud of how it came out.

I'm getting back into the grove of updating now, I hope. My life is quieting down now, so it should be easier to get updates in. Maybe working on my other story in another fandom will help me keep the ideas fresh.

Well, until next time! Oh, and don't forget about my pole. ^_^


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